Does skydiving hurt your ears?
Ahhh my ear holes! Does skydiving hurt people's ears?
We get this question a lot. The short answer: no. However, if you are experiencing nasal congestion, it is possible this will create uncomfortable pressure in your ears as you descend rapidly from 13,000'. That pressure is what some people notice on their first jump. Fun fact: scuba divers are super good at clearing their ears and tend to have an easier time at altitude, lucky them!
It is normal to clear the pressure in your ears after a skydive, I usually ask my students to clear their ears once the parachute opens.
This is a similar feeling to when you fly on a 747 to Hawaii, your ears are ‘clogged’ but not painful. So clear those ears while you're HIGH. I've found during my EXTENSIVE research as a Tandem Instructor, that once you're feet are back on the ground, those ears are going to take their time clearing.
Will my ears ever be ears again?
Yes, if you're one of the people that experienced ear congestion and one of the very very few people that experienced pain in your ears, the good news is it WILL dissipate. Your ears will begin to normalize as the day continues and you will most likely be feeling right as rain in 4-6 hours. On my first skydive I was actually congested and once the parachute opened my instructor was talking to me but I couldn't hear a thing. Wish I would have cleared my ears at 6,000' (*sigh*) but I was definitely good to go by dinner time.
So party people, don't let the fear of the unknown stop you from the most incredible activity known to man!
I'm pretty sure people have been dreaming of flight since before agriculture, the wheel, and even fire was a thing. Plus, if you've ever been scuba diving or on a commercial flight, skydiving is no different. Take it from someone who's done over 3,000 jumps: your ear concerns are going to seem like nothing when that door flies open at 13,000'.