How High Do You Skydive From?
How high is a skydiving plane when you make the big leap? On average, skydivers jump from a height of roughly 8,000 to 14,000 feet—but there’s a significant amount of variation across the industry, and some services will take you up to 18,000 feet or higher before your jump! Before you book a skydiving adventure, let us help you learn everything you need to know about skydiving jump heights, descent times, measurement standards, and FAA requirements.
How High Do Skydivers Jump From with DZONE®?
DZONE® offers skydiving at three locations: in Coeur D’Alene, Bozeman, and Boise. So, how high do skydivers jump from with DZONE®? It depends on where you go:
- Coeur D’Alene, ID: Jump from 12,500 feet
- Bozeman, MT: Jump from 14,000 feet
- Boise, ID: Jump from 13,000 feet
Interested in how long you will be in the air for? At each of these locations, you’ll enjoy roughly 30 seconds to one minute of jump or freefall time, as well as five to nine minutes of canopy/parachute time.
We choose to offer skydiving from these jump heights for two reasons: In the first place, each of these jump heights allows for plenty of freefall time! Second, jumping from less than 15,000 feet ensures a lower risk of hypoxia, a lack of oxygen in the body.
Skydiving Jump Heights: AGL vs. MSL
Whenever you book a skydiving adventure near Spokane or Butte, you should ask the provider how their jump heights are calculated. That’s because there are essentially two ways to answer the question, “How high do you skydive from?”
- Above Ground Level (AGL): This measurement tells you how far above solid ground you are when you jump from the plane. An AGL measurement is useful for determining how long your jump will last, and how long it will take you to ascend.
- Mean Sea Level (MSL): This measurement tells you how high you are relative to the average sea level, globally. You need to know the MSL jump height in order to determine the risk of hypoxia.
What is Hypoxia?
Above, we noted that jumping from a height of less than 15,000 feet can lower the risk of hypoxia, defined as a state in which your body’s tissues and organs lack sufficient oxygen. The amount of oxygen in the atmosphere decreases as you ascend, and if you’re going higher than 15,000 feet, the Federal Aviation Administration actually requires the skydiving provider to supply jumpers with supplemental oxygen.
If you’re not sure of whether your jump will require oxygen, contact DZONE® before you book.
Maximum Skydiving Height: Who Holds the World Record?
Expert skydivers don’t necessarily have to stick to the 18,000-foot upper limit that we mentioned above—far from it. Several jumpers have gone to incredible lengths to push the limits of the human body, executing ‘near space’ jumps from over one hundred thousand feet in the air. Some of the most recent world record breakers include:
- Joe Kittinger- Holding the record for 53 years, Joe jumped from 102,800 feet on August 16, 1960.
- Felix Baumgartner- On October 14, 2012, Felix jump from a helium balloon in the stratosphere of New Mexico for a then record-breaking jump of 127,851 feet.
- Alan Eustace- Setting a new world record in 2014, Alan lept from 135,908 feet on October 24.
What is the Minimum Height for Skydiving?
As we’ve already seen, average skydiving heights tend to fall between 8,000 and 14,000 feet. And for tandem skydiving, 8,000 feet is the lowest acceptable skydiving height. However, the minimum height for skydiving is actually much lower if you consider other jump styles. It’s not uncommon for a skydiver to perform a hop-n-pop at around 2,500-3,000ft. In fact, skydivers invented a whole new sub culture of parachuting called B.A.S.E. jumping which is dedicated to jumping off of fixed objects, sometimes as low as 160ft.
Book Your Skydiving Adventure Today!
If you’re ready to book your skydiving adventure, just choose your location and let us know when you’re ready to jump! Interested in learning more about the process? Take a minute to browse through our other articles or our frequently asked questions, and get ready for the ride of a lifetime!
Book Your Skydiving Adventure Today!
If you’re ready to book your skydiving adventure, just choose your location and let us know when you’re ready to jump! Interested in learning more about the process? Take a minute to browse through our other articles and get ready for the ride of a lifetime!