Fun Skydiving Exits

Fun skydiving exits come in all shapes and sizes! The thrill of jumping out of a plane is a rush like no other, and how you choose to make that exit can add an extra layer of fun to the jump. There are so many to choose from, each with their advantages, disadvantages, and twists! Let’s dive into some common exits from skydiving planes and explore how the tandem skydiving exit happens.  

The Tandem Skydiving Exit 

As you ascend to exit altitude, the excitement builds exponentially. Although the climb can take anywhere from around 10 to 25 minutes, it seems to go by in the blink of an eye. The door will pop open, your instructor will ask if you’re ready to skydive, and then you’ll push your fears aside and respond with a resounding “YES!” 

Both of you will scooch or shimmy toward the door of the plane and crouch down. The instructor will let go of the airplane with a gentle push and send both of you into glorious freefall. Now it’s time to ARCH – your instructor will teach you all about this ideal body position in the pre-jump briefing! 

Different Types of Skydiving Exits: The Basics 

Skydiving exits are often seen as the simple act of jumping out of a plane, but they hold much more significance than that and each exit serves a unique purpose. When learning how to skydive, understanding how to exit the aircraft safely alone and alongside others, all while having fun, is one of the first lessons. This is why two skydiving exits taught from the get-go are the poised exit and the diving exit. 

The poised exit.

This exit entails the skydiver climbing out of the plane and facing forward – toward the propeller(s). The poised exit is the first type of skydiving exit that is taught to solo jumpers. It is known as the most stable exit and keeps the jumper in a belly-to-earth position, which is the first freefall position taught to solo jump students. Plus, belly-to-earth is how tandem pairs fall! 

The diving exit.

How to do a diving exit is an important skydiving skill to master before jumping with groups! Diving exits are generally assigned to the last few people leaving the plane in a group. In a smaller aircraft, this may be two people, and in a plane that accommodates dozens of jumpers, this could be the latter 12 people to leave. A diving exit is just as it sounds – think about leaving the plane head first and diving into the breeze. 

Different Types of Skydiving Exits: The Extras 

While some solo jumpers exit similarly to a tandem or use the two exits mentioned above, they tend to want to mix things up a bit once they get more comfortable in the air! Here’s some whacky skydiving exits that licensed solo jumpers like: 

The flips.

Did you know that successfully regaining stability from frontflips and backflips is part of the progression when a person is learning how to skydive solo? To practice this, people like to leave the plane while flipping or doing gainers! 

The horny gorilla.

We can’t take credit for this, um, creative name, but we can assure you this is one fun exit! Jumpers – a minimum of two and maximum of four(ish) – will position themselves in the door and intertwine their legs. With their knees and ankles crisscrossing and hands taking light grips on one another, they will tumble into freefall! After a few seconds, and with legs still meshed into one, the jumpers will release their hand grips and beat their chests like gorillas. 

The rodeo.

Think about riding a rodeo bull – one person is the bull and one person is the cowboy. The pair will position themselves in the door, exit as one, and enter freefall. The person on top of the others’ back will hold onto their friend’s container and squeeeeeeze their knees together around the person’s torso. Once stability is gained, the person on top can release one hand and hold it in the air, like they do in the rodeo! This is typically done with the person on the bottom wearing a wingsuit, which extends the amount of freefall time. 

The Mr. Bill.

Eeek! Mr. Bill exits are OG and were some of the first to show how fun skydiving exits can be. This exit entails two people (and hopefully someone on the outside taking video) leaving the airplane together. Person “B” tightly holds onto the front of Person “A” with their arms and legs, while Person A deploys their parachute immediately after leaving the plane. This leaves Person A under their parachute with Person B dangling from them (with their parachute still secured in their container)! After chatting – yep, you can talk under the parachute – and soaring around for a while, Person B will say farewell and let go of Person A to enter into freefall. Person B will then deploy their own parachute. 

The sit train.

Envision doing a wall sit with someone behind you and someone in front of you, all facing forward. Grab onto the top of their container near their shoulders, and tighten your knees around their hips. Now, leave the airplane in that position! 

Ready To Send It? 

Book today to experience the fun of a tandem skydiving exit. If you love it (which we’re sure you will), learn to skydive solo and send some wicked exits with your new sky fam! Blue skies!