ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — Tens of thousands of people took to the skies Saturday as World Skydiving Day united first-time jumpers and experienced skydivers at drop zones around the world.
World Skydiving Day is designed to introduce more people to the sport while celebrating the global skydiving community. The goal: to break the record of the most jumps completed in a day.
30,351 jumps were logged worldwide in 2024, followed by 26,718 in 2025. As of Monday evening, the number of jumps this year is still being counted.
WATCH: World Skydiving Day takes flight at Skydive City in Zephyrhills
Locally, the Tampa Bay area is home to one of the biggest drop zones in the country, Skydive City in Zephyrhills, which hosted the event as part of the annual celebration. Skydive City owner Kyle Salvato says hundreds of people came out to celebrate this day.
Rich Muscolino, the head of strategy and development at Skydive City, describes the freedom he feels while in the sky.
Skydiver Alexis Brandt also shares the joys of being in the sky. She says at first, it was just an item off the bucket list. But after the first jump, she was hooked.
Small plane makes emergency water landing near Honeymoon Island State Park
Dunedin Fire Rescue said all occupants safely reached shore with minor injuries after the aircraft went down offshore.
