Is It Hard to Breathe While Skydiving?

Can you breathe when skydiving? Yes, you can — and you will! If you’re worried about not being able to breathe while skydiving, you’re falling victim to a very old and very false misconception. You know the words, so sing it with us, now: 🎶Take my breath aaaawaaaaaaayyyy! 🎶

And you know you want us to take your breath away, don’t you? Skydive Mossel Bay has the prettiest view from altitude in the world, hands-down, from the graceful sweep of our Garden Route beaches to the Indian Ocean licking along the horizon to the Outeniqua Mountains lining up majestically in the background. Between the sheer gorgeousness of the world around you and the nervousness everyone experiences on a first-time tandem skydive, you’re right to be worried! That said, don’t be: We’re here to tell you it’s not necessary.

The Origins of the Myth

Okay — so if you’ve heard that it’s hard to breathe when you’re skydiving, the story has to have its root in some truth. Right? Well: Here’s where that pervasive myth comes from. As it turns out, it’s not uncommon for folks to subconsciously hold their breath as they take that “giant leap for mankind” of exiting the plane. (Understandable, right?) Add to that the simple fact of a sensational amount of wind in your face, and you might have a recipe for breath-holding.

No Lack of Oxygen

The typical exit altitude for most skydiving centers — as with ours — is usually between 10,000 and 14,000 feet above the landing area. As it turns out, the given altitude of 14,000 feet isn’t arbitrary.

This altitude is just about as high as someone would want to go without the help of additional oxygen in order to avoid a thing called “hypoxia” (the condition, caused by a lack of oxygen, that can affect judgment and even cause a person to blackout). Skydives made above 15,000 feet require the use of O2. Skydives below that altitude are confirmedly in the safe zone, so you won’t need to worry that the rarefied air up there won’t be enough to keep you in trim.

One more point: The closer to sea level a dropzone sits, the richer the air. Mossel Bay is kissing distance from sea level, a fact of which you’ll be gloriously aware for the entirety of your jump with us.

Our Simple, Surefire Solution

Not breathing in freefall seems like a simple problem to solve. Right? Well, it is! Our super-fun, super-professional skydiving instructors tell their tandem skydiving students to do what comes naturally: holler. If a student lets out a nice lil’ rebel yell to kick off freefall, the “problem” solves itself. Screaming basically forces you to take a giant gulp of air before and after. Pretty cool, huh?

🎶 Watching, we keep waiting, still anticipating your skydive… 🎶

Feeling better about this? We thought so! It’s not hard to breathe when you’re skydiving. Simply scream with joy and enjoy the stuffin’ out of this life-changing experience! If you’d like to join us in the sky, click here to reserve your skydive. We’ll take your breath away in the best possible way!