HOW FAST DO YOU FALL ON A FREEFALL TANDEM SKYDIVE?
So – exactly how fast are you falling when skydiving?
During freefall, you’ve got roughly a full minute of airtime—plenty of time for your body to reach what’s called terminal velocity. That’s simply the fastest speed you can fall. Before you get there, you’re accelerating, but once you hit terminal velocity, you’re basically maxed out.
So what’s that speed for most people? For a tandem skydiver—or an experienced solo jumper flying belly-to-earth—it’s usually around 120 mph, and you’ll reach that after about 12 seconds in freefall.
But, there are a few variables to this, so read on!
THE DROGUE
If you’ve watched tandem skydiving videos, you may have noticed a small white parachute trailing behind the pair. That’s the drogue, and it’s unique to parachute systems built specifically for tandem skydiving.
Right after exiting the plane, the instructor tosses the drogue into the wind. It’s tiny, but it helps slow your tandem freefall down to ‘normal’ speeds, and helps as part of the opening of the main parachute after freefall is over. Without the drogue, a tandem pair would fall almost twice as fast as one skydiver – up to 200mph – which makes opening the parachute really uncomfortable.
EXPERIENCED SKYDIVERS FALL DIFFERENTLY
Tandem freefall speeds are pretty consistent, but experienced skydivers can change their speed a lot by adjusting their body position or wearing special suits. Belly-to-earth skydivers fall at about 120 mph, just like tandems.
But if they switch to a vertical position—head-up or head-down—they present less surface area to the wind and can zoom along at 150–180 mph. On the opposite extreme, wingsuit flyers, with their special suits, add a ton of drag and can slow their vertical speed to around 40 mph!
HOW FAST DOES FREEFALL FEEL?
Here’s the wild part: even though you’re tearing through the sky at highway speeds, freefall often doesn’t feel fast at all.
With no solid reference points around you, it can feel more like floating than falling. You might see clouds drift by or notice the ground growing slowly larger, but there’s no scary “ground rush.” Before you know it, it’s time to pull your parachute.
WHAT ABOUT THE SPEED OF THE PARACHUTE?
Once the parachute opens, everything calms way down.
Your descent slows to roughly 15 mph—just enough to enjoy the view, breathe easy, and even chat with your instructor.
Ready to experience that incredible mix of speed and serenity for yourself? Read more about what to expect on your tandem skydive with us here, and the prices for tandem jumps here.
Dont forget that you can have your own skydive photographer join your in freefall so you can relive the jump with your friends, family, and on socials.
