It is official: A new SA skydiving record has been set at the Skydive the Ranch. A team of 32 skydivers exited three aircraft simultaneously and linked up in mid-air to form a complex formation within 55 seconds on August 30.

This record surpasses the previous benchmark of 24 skydivers, set on November 26, 2017. The event was organised by Brad Curnow, Warren Dent and Mohan Chudalay, and featured Roodepoort’s Stevan Boskovic, who was not only one of the skydivers but also captured the action as a videographer.

Organiser Brad Curnow said the record bid represented more than just a technical achievement, “I feel grateful because it has been a wonderful collaboration and team effort. I thank the team at the Skydive the Ranch for making the effort to deliver a project like this, as well as my fellow coaches, Mohan, Warren and Amy Ashford. And, of course, all the skydivers who participated in the training camps leading up to this attempt.”

Curnow added that he hoped the spectacle would inject new life into the sport.

“Since Covid-19, the sport has seen declining numbers in membership and activity. I hope what we did here will help change that trajectory. Skydiving in SA has an amazing history and some wonderful achievements, and we would love to get the sport back to those levels.”

Although the record was set by a team of 32, 56 participants attended the training camps, and 54 applied for record attempts. This gave the organisers a selection headache but also a platform to aim even bigger next year.

The total number of skydives among the final 32 participants is about 53 000, with the most experienced participant logging around 5 000 jumps.

The organisers said this was just the first chapter, and they are already planning the next set of events.