Top 10 Skydiving Myths Busted: What Really Happens Up There?

Thinking about jumping out of a perfectly good airplane but wondering about some cautionary tales you’ve heard about what happens in freefall? At Skydive STL, we’ve heard them all and frequently answer questions about them – from “Can you breathe during freefall?”, to “Do skydivers ever pass out?”

Let’s clear the air with some facts about skydiving. Here are the Top 10 Skydiving Myths we come across – and the real facts behind them.

1. You Can’t Breathe During Freefall

Completely untrue. To understand where this myth comes from, it’s helpful to note how quickly skydivers fall. During a tandem, you can expect to reach speeds of about 120 mph, which means the air blows at you fast – but it’s breathable! That sensation of wind in your face is not a shortage of oxygen. If anything, adrenaline and thrill make people unwittingly hold their breath.

2. When the Parachute Opens, You Shoot Upwards

Nope. What you actually do is slow down quickly once the parachute deploys. To another jumper filming the opening during freefall, it will seem as if you’re ascending upwards, but it’s just the difference in descent speeds that’s behind this skydiving myth. And here’s the fact: you do experience a firm but controlled deceleration when the parachute opens. 

3. Your Stomach Will Drop Like on a Roller Coaster

The stomach-drop sensation of amusement park rides happens when you’re subjected to an abrupt acceleration. But does your stomach drop while skydiving? No, and here’s why: the plane is already in motion when you take the leap, and your body smoothly accelerates into freefall. It feels more like floating on a powerful cushion of air, rather than a crazy drop. If you’re curious about how your stomach is going to feel during a skydive, we have more in our article explaining the importance of eating before skydiving.

4. You Have to Be Fearless to Skydive

Absolutely not. You don’t have to be fearless – skydiving just requires curiosity and bravery. It’s not only totally okay to feel scared, but it’s normal! Even experienced jumpers can feel a little scared or anxious before a jump. The true magic of skydiving is finding that you can do it in spite of being afraid.

5. You Can Talk in Freefall

This Top 10 Skydiving Myth is sadly not true. With 120-mph winds whizzing past you, conversation isn’t feasible. Much communication during freefall is done through movement, hand signals and big facial gestures. As soon as the parachute opens up, though, it’s calm and quiet. Tandem students can actually converse with their instructor during canopy flight!

6. Main Parachute Failures Are Common

Modern skydiving equipment is made with layers of safety. Tandem equipment contains a main parachute, reserve (i.e. backup) parachute, and an automatic activation device (AAD) to deploy the reserve in an emergency. According to skydiving statistics collected by the United States Parachute Association (USPA) since the 60s, malfunctions do not take place frequently, and when they do happen, they’re usually swiftly and smoothly addressed. (We have more to say about safety and backup systems in our guide about skydiving and safety.)

7. Skydiving is Only for Young, Fit Men

This one couldn’t be further from the truth! We see people from all walks of life at our dropzone, and the international skydiving community is known for being welcoming to everyone. So long as you are in general good health, meet our requirements, and agree to the rules, you can skydive. To completely disprove this Top 10 Skydiving Myth, here’s an interesting fact about skydiving: the current Guinness World Record for the oldest tandem skydiver is a 106-year-old from Texas! If you’re wondering about an upper age limit or medical requirement for skydiving, check out our blog post on skydiving at any age.

8. You Will Pass Out While Skydiving

Can you pass out while skydiving? Yes, but it’s pretty unlikely to happen. Statistics show that fainting while skydiving is extremely rare. Most people are fully alert and smiling while taking in the view from the sky. The few cases of passing out tend to involve other factors like dehydration, not eating, or pre-existing health conditions. 

9. Skydiving Is Too Expensive

Making a tandem skydive isn’t the cheapest activity you can do on a Saturday afternoon, but it’s a lot more reasonably priced than people may think! When you consider the training, gear, aircraft, fuel, and professional instructors involved, you’re actually getting a lot of value for your money. Plus, we offer a variety of skydiving packages to choose from based on what best suits your budget.

10. Skydiving Is Extremely Dangerous

Skydiving isn’t “safe” – you’re jumping out of an airplane from two miles up, for Pete’s sake! But we are able to mitigate a lot of the risks associated with skydiving through stringent instructor training, advancements in technology, and rigorous safety protocols. Over the last decade, the tandem odds of dying skydiving have been one student per 500,000 tandem jumps made. 

Is solo skydiving more dangerous? Yes – and here’s why: solo jumpers are able to make a lot of choices regarding their gear and how they fly it, which increases their exposure to risk. With tandem jumps, instructors must follow specific safety protocols that set up a more consistent, reliable experience. 

Let’s look again at statistics. According to the USPA’s 2024 report, there were nine fatalities across the experienced skydiver community last year. For context, that’s one fatality per 434,783 jumps made by licensed skydivers.

Debunking the Myths

The bottom line? Skydiving is an extreme sport that attracts sensational ideas and misunderstandings. Some untruths were skydiving statistics in the past, but they’re now outdated. Others are just plain wrong. If you have questions about our sport or about jumping tandem with us at Skydive STL, get in touch! We’re here to help!

Have all your questions answered and you’re ready to fly? Book your tandem skydive today. We can’t wait to take you on an epic adventure!