Can You Breathe While Skydiving?

Key Takeaways
Breathing during freefall is possible and, for most people, isn’t physically difficult. Fast-moving, cold air can make breathing feel unusual, while adrenaline may cause you to tense up, experience shallow breathing, or briefly hold your breath. The easiest solution is to exhale, relax your face, keep your chin up, and return to a steady breathing rhythm. A typical tandem freefall lasts about 60 seconds, so you only need to manage the sensation for a short time.

Table of Contents
Can You Breathe When Skydiving?
Is it Hard to Breathe When Skydiving?
How to Breathe When Skydiving
Breathing While Skydiving: FAQs
Don’t Hold Your Breath … Book Your Skydive!

You’re about to jump from an airplane, and one question keeps running through your mind: “Will I be able to breathe while falling at 120 mph?”

Yes, you can breathe during a skydive, including freefall. 

The airflow may feel unfamiliar, but it doesn’t prevent you from inhaling and exhaling. If you’re like most people, the bigger challenge will be remembering to breathe normally while adrenaline, cold air, and a completely new environment are competing for your attention.

Here’s what you need to know.

Can You Breathe When Skydiving?

Yes, you can breathe when skydiving.

At around 120 mph, there is a lot of air moving around your body, but it isn’t being forced directly into your lungs or blocking you from getting a breath. Air flows around you as you descend, allowing you to inhale and exhale normally.

What can feel strange is the sensation of breathing in rapidly moving air. You’re also suddenly much more aware of your face, mouth, and breathing at 14,000 ft or even 18,000 ft in the sky than you are on the ground.

Your tandem instructor will help you maintain the proper body position throughout freefall, so you don’t have to figure everything out yourself.

Is it Hard to Breathe When Skydiving?

For most people, breathing isn’t physically difficult while skydiving. But there are a few biological reasons why those first breaths of freefall can feel unusual.

Cold, fast-moving air can change the sensation

When you’re suddenly exposed to fast-moving, cold air, your respiratory system is dealing with conditions very different from the warm, humid air you’re used to.

Cold, dry air can cool and dry the airways. In some people, that may slightly increase airway resistance or trigger temporary narrowing of the airways. This is more common in people with asthma or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.

That said, not everyone experiences this, and most first-time tandem skydivers don’t notice true breathing difficulty – just the sensation of breathing in fast-moving air.

Your nervous system notices the difference

Your face and upper airway contain sensory nerves that respond to changes in temperature and airflow. When cold air rushes across your face, those nerves send strong signals to your brain. That can make breathing feel different even when your lungs are working normally. 

In other words, your body may register “this feels intense” without there being a real problem getting air.

Adrenaline can change your breathing pattern

Then there’s adrenaline. In an intense moment, you might tense up, breathe too quickly, take shallow breaths, or even briefly hold your breath. If that happens, you can feel like you’re not getting enough air. That’s how someone can step into freefall, instinctively hold their breath for a moment, and think:

“I can’t breathe!”

But often, the issue isn’t lack of air – it’s that you’ve stopped breathing normally.

How to Breathe When Skydiving

So, how do you breathe when skydiving? You don’t need to learn a new way to breathe. The goal is to keep your breathing natural and avoid falling into the habit of holding your breath.

Start with steady breathing

Before the jump, take slow, comfortable breaths. Breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand naturally as you inhale. The goal isn’t to take enormous breaths. It’s simply to establish a relaxed rhythm that you can return to during freefall.

Exhale as you leave the airplane

One of the easiest tricks is to yell a big “WOOHOO!” as you exit the aircraft. It forces you to exhale and helps prevent that instinctive breath-holding response. It also happens to be a pretty appropriate thing to yell when you’re jumping out of an airplane. If you notice yourself holding your breath later in freefall, yell again!

Keep your chin up

Look toward the horizon and keep your head in a natural, lifted position. This helps you maintain the body position your instructor taught you during your pre-jump briefing and keeps the airflow from hitting your face in a way that feels unnecessarily intense.

Relax your face and jaw

It’s easy to tense your jaw and facial muscles when you’re concentrating. Let your face relax and keep your mouth slightly open. You can breathe through your nose, mouth, or both – whichever feels most comfortable to you. There’s no special “skydiving breath” you have to master.

Try not to compensate with rapid breathing

If you suddenly realize you’ve been holding your breath, don’t respond by taking a series of huge, rapid breaths. Exhale first, then breathe steadily. Rapid or excessive breathing can make you feel lightheaded and can make you even more aware of your breathing. A calm, consistent rhythm is the better approach.

And remember: a typical tandem freefall lasts only about 45 to 60 seconds. That’s one minute of managing an unfamiliar breathing environment – not an entire afternoon. Once the parachute opens, the airflow changes dramatically, and you can settle into a much more relaxed breathing pattern.

Breathing While Skydiving: FAQs

Can you breathe in freefall?

Yes. You can inhale and exhale throughout freefall. The air is moving rapidly around you, but that airflow doesn’t prevent your lungs from working normally.

Can you talk while skydiving?

You can yell, laugh, or make other sounds during freefall, but carrying on a normal conversation is difficult. The rushing airflow is loud, so hearing another person clearly can be challenging.

Your tandem instructor may use hand signals or other visual cues to communicate with you during freefall. Save the conversation for when you’re under the parachute.

Can you suffocate while skydiving?

Not simply because you’re in freefall. The airflow doesn’t prevent you from breathing. If you feel as though you can’t catch your breath, check whether you’re holding your breath or breathing rapidly. Exhale and return to a slower, more natural rhythm.

People with conditions that make them particularly sensitive to cold air or airway narrowing should discuss their individual circumstances with their healthcare provider before jumping.

Is it possible to pass out while skydiving?

A person can lose consciousness during a skydive, although this isn’t a normal part of the experience. Fainting or loss of consciousness can have a variety of causes, including individual medical conditions and abnormal breathing patterns. Holding your breath or breathing too rapidly can also contribute to lightheadedness. 

If you have a history of fainting or a medical condition that could affect your ability to skydive, discuss your individual circumstances with your healthcare provider before jumping.

Don’t Hold Your Breath … Book Your Skydive!

The airflow may feel unfamiliar, but breathing doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with steady breathing before your jump, exhale as you leave the aircraft, keep your head up, relax your face, and avoid holding your breath.

And if you forget all of that the moment the airplane door opens? That’s okay, too. Your tandem instructor will be right there to guide you through the jump.

Once the parachute opens, the airflow changes and you’ll have plenty of time to breathe, talk, and take in the Oklahoma sky.

Ready to experience freefall for yourself? Book a tandem skydive with Oklahoma Skydiving Center or reach out to one of our helpful team members for any other questions regarding your jump.