How does your body feel when you skydive?
A lot of people would expect skydiving to feel like you’re falling but amazingly it doesn’t. It’s hard to put into words as people say it’s like nothing they’ve ever experienced before. It is very windy and gives you a new perspective of the world which you didn’t even know existed.
Do you feel your stomach drop when skydiving?
The simple answer to this is no: you don’t get that stomach dropping feeling that you might experience on a rollercoaster, for example. You might experience this on a theme park ride due to the drastic increase in speed. But during the plane ride before the skydive, the aircraft will be moving at roughly 70-80 mph. When you exit the aircraft, within about 10 seconds you will reach your terminal velocity of 120 mph. Because the delta between your horizontal and vertical speed does not increase drastically, you do not experience a stomach drop when you skydive.
The freefall portion of a skydive doesn’t feel much like falling at all, it feels more like you are resting, supported on a column of air.
Can skydiving hurt?
Despite its extreme nature, tandem skydiving is not an incredibly physically demanding activity. Because of its accessibility, individuals in relatively good condition of all ages can experience the joy of flight through tandem skydiving with a licensed skydiving instructor.
Do people vomit during skydiving?
The number of people who vomit on their first skydive might be lower than you think, at around only 2%. You can lower your chances of throwing up by making sure you haven’t drunk too much the night before. Being hungover is the biggest reason people vomit during a skydive.
If you suffer from motion sickness from roller coasters or being on a boat then you may well throw up on a skydive.
To try and avoid being sick:
- If you take medication to prevent motion sickness for other events in your life, then try using this for skydiving as well
- Keep your eyes on the horizon
- Use acupressure bands
- Eat a light meal and stay hydrated - avoid greasy foods
How does your mind feel when you skydive?
While freefalling at 120 mph your mind is trying to comprehend the sensations and sights you are seeing. Your brain has trouble keeping up with what's happening, this is called a 'sensory overload'. It's like your brain is stuck in the airplane still looking down at the ground long after your body has exited and is in freefall. Skydiving is windy, adrenaline pumping and intense. By the time your parachute opens your brain was just getting used to the feeling of freefall. It is over before you are ready for it to be and it's hard to clearly remember exactly what just happened.
Is skydiving scary?
Yes and no. The lead up to skydiving is way scarier than skydiving itself - the anticipation is the hard part. Just like climbing up the track on a roller coaster, the anticipation of a skydiving leaves your tummy feeling all kinds of sensations. Being in the airplane is really the hardest part.
But once you exit the airplane you are living in the moment and there is no more time for fear as your brain is consumed with the sensations of skydiving. You can't think of fear because your brain just can’t process so many things at one time.
Why do people like skydiving?
The sensation that skydiving gives you after you land is incredible, and makes people feel like they can do anything. The more skydives you make, the clearer your brain is able to process everything that happens. Each skydive that you go on you will be able to take in more information and see, feel, and hear everything that is around you. Skydivers get addicted to the sensation of living in the moment because it makes them feel alive and helps to quiet their mind.
Summary
We hope that has given you a better idea of what skydiving feels like and what types of sensations you can expect to experience. Like with many things in life the anticipation beforehand can be the most nerve-racking part and the skydive itself is an amazing feeling, like nothing you will have experienced before. Once people have landed on the ground they just want to go back and do it again, because it’s given them an incredible adrenaline rush.