Episode 85- Naked Skydiving with Jeff Dawson

This week our interviewee bares all high above the earth. We’re talking to Jeff Dawson. Jeff is not only an avid skydiver he is actually the person who holds the record of the most naked skydives in the world. At the time of our conversation he was at an incredible 804 naked dives and counting.

Sadly, you won’t find Jeff’s record in the “Guinness Book of World Records,” apparently the folks at Guinness don’t believe in breaking down into sub-categories so it’s either just skydiving or its nothing. Never fear, his record is still confirmed thanks to the Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving (SANS).

Jeff actually founded the organization as a way to document and celebrate naked skydivers’ accomplishments around the world.

Jeff didn’t fall in love with the sport of skydiving until his 40^th birthday and he didn’t experience the thrill of jumping out of a plane naked until after he’d completed 99 regular skydives. It’s a tradition in the sport for participants to do their 100^th dive naked. Jeff did it, and he was immediately hooked. Now he skydives naked any chance he can get and has built a community to support others who want to let it all hang out as they parachute their way back to earth.

We talked to Jeff about everything from what the sensation is like to what falling at those heights might do to areas of the body that are usually secure in the gear.  He even shared what it’s like on those rare occasions when you miss your landing area and end up in a corn field with nothing but a parachute and all your glory.

We learned that other than a few naked skinny dips as a young lad, he’d never pursued any other nudism until skydiving and to this day, that is still his only nudist passion. Nude beaches and resorts just aren’t his thing. Soaring through the air and back down to earth au natural is far more his speed.

We asked Jeff about what’s next. Where he’d like to take his adventures from here and what he hopes to achieve as well as for advice for first timers making their jumps with or without clothing.

Jeff has performed his dives all over the world but he still favors his home club as his favorite place to jump. The Sky Knights Sport Parachute Club is where he calls home on the outskirts of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

He even shared some tips on how to make the sport a little more affordable for those who may not have the resources to jump on a regular basis.

If you think naked skydiving could be your thing too, we encourage you to check out SANS by clicking here. If you’re not ready to take it all off yet but definitely want to experience the excitement of skydiving, Jeff recommends looking up a skydiving location in a region near you.

Jeff also was kind enough to introduce us to our friend and professional stuntperson, Rachel Harrison. If you haven’t listened to her fascinating story, be sure to check her interview out here after you listen to Jeff’s.