To those that jump, no explanation is necessary. To those that don’t jump, no explanation is possible.
Anyone who hasn’t jumped out of a perfectly decent aircraft has wondered, “How does it feel to do skydive?” This question has both physical and emotional solutions.
Falling through the air at 120+ mph is a weird experience. When talking about the sense of freefall, most people who have jumped express something like “the emotion is indescribable” or “unlike anything else.”
PHYSICAL – HOW SKYDIVING FEELS TO YOUR BODY
When you jump, your senses are heightened. After your first jump, you may experience “sensory overload,” which is caused by the fact that you are feeling so many things at once that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. You get a different perspective on the world. You’ve seen it from above in flights or on mapping applications, but the detail (and beauty) you notice when there’s only air between you and the Earth is like nothing you’ve ever seen. You get a whiff of fresh air. Do notice that a cool blow of wind or being on top of a mountain gives out a fresh, clean smells? That’s it. You’re a long way from any fragrances you’re used to. It’s just pure fresh air in free-fall. You can hear the wind howling. It’s like when you blow into a microphone and get static, or when you splash into water and get a loud sound in your brain. It’s not unpleasant or harsh, but it’s too loud to hold a conversation. However, after the parachute is deployed, all is calm.
The type of silence that only becomes apparent after a period of chaos. On your skin, you sense a shift in warmth and pressure. It will be substantially colder at jump altitude, even on a hot day. On a hot day, it’s like opening the refrigerator door and feeling a flood of coolness come over you. The wind resistance you’re experiencing as a result of your free-fall speed feels like pressure. Not in a painful way, but rather as if you’re being supported while still being able to move your arms and legs. Put your hand out the window with your thumb facing forward the next time you’re driving down the highway, then turn your arm with your palm facing forward to experience the change in pressure. That’s what we’re addressing.
Any idiot can fly a plane, but it takes a special kind of idiot to jump out of one.
EMOTIONAL – WHAT YOUR MIND FEELS WHEN YOU SKYDIVE
The majority of people connect skydiving with emotions. Because it’s easier to resort to an emotional response with all the sensory information they’re attempting to digest. Freedom. Bliss. Focus. Confidence. Because it’s such a strong event, you’ll hear a lot of responses like this. For most, a fear has been surmounted or a long-held dream has been fulfilled. That’s a big accomplishment!
WHAT IT DOES NOT FEEL LIKE
Many individuals fear skydiving might be unpleasant, which is why they investigate before jumping. The sensation of “the stomach drop” experienced on roller coasters or quick spins is the most prominent fear. There is really no stomach drop in skydiving, believe it or not! Honestly. That feeling that most people hate comes from the sudden change in speed you experience on a roller coaster. Your body is moving at a rapid rate and changing directions quickly. But guess what, humans are mostly liquid. Experiment with tilting a water bottle back and forth to watch how the liquid reacts. That’s what’s going on in your body on a smaller scale, and you get that sense when your insides take a little longer to catch up to your outsides.
When you go skydiving, you jump out of a moving plane. You’re usually going at speeds of 100+ mph, but it doesn’t seem like it since you’re safe inside the cabin and there’s not much to offer a visual reference for your speed. When you leap out, you gradually increase your speed, only by around 20 mph over the duration of 10-15 seconds. That’s a long time, and your body hasn’t been subjected to enough force to generate a fear reaction in your brain.
One of the most appealing aspects about skydiving is how intimate the experience is. Everyone has a motive for jumping for the first time: a fear to overcome, something they want to forget, or a desire to experience something new. Regardless of your motivation or the reason, if you have a part of you that wants to jump, go ahead and do it! You could only know how it feels to you if you go through it by yourself.
