Parachuting, or skydiving, is an activity involving a free-fall from a height using a parachute.

The history of skydiving began with a descent from a balloon by André-Jacques Garnerin in 1797. Skydiving has been used by the military since the early 1900s, including use in World War I and World War II. Early competitions date back to the 1930s, and it became an international sport in 1951.

Today it is performed as a recreational activity and a competitive sport, as well as for the deployment of military personnel and occasionally forest firefighters.

The decision of when to deploy the parachute is a matter of safety. A parachute should be deployed sufficiently high to give the parachutist time to handle a malfunction, should one occur. Two thousand five hundred feet is the practical minimum for advanced skydivers. Skydivers monitor their altimeters during freefall to decide when to break off from the formation (if applicable) and when to open their parachutes. Many skydivers open higher to practice their parachute flying skills. During a "hop-and-pop", a jump in which the parachute is deployed immediately upon exiting the aircraft, it is not uncommon to be under canopy as high as 4000 or 5000 feet.

White sand circular target at a drop zoneParachute flying involves two basic challenges. Firstly to avoid injury and secondly to land where planned, often on a designated target. Some experienced skydivers enjoy performing aerobatic maneuvers with parachutes, the most notable being the "Swoop". This is a thrilling, but dangerous maneuver entailing a steep, high speed landing approach, before leveling off a couple of feet above the ground to maintain a fast glide parallel to the surface. Swoops as far as 600 feet have been achieved.

A modern parachute or canopy "wing" can glide substantial distances. Elliptical canopies go faster and farther, and some small, highly loaded canopies glide faster than a man can run, which can make them very challenging to land. A highly experienced skydiver using a very small canopy can achieve over 60 mph horizontal speeds in landing.

A good landing will not present any discomfort and land the skydiver within a few feet of his intended location. In competitions, champion accuracy skydivers routinely land less than two inches from the center of a target.

Today, the majority of skydiving related injuries happen under a fully opened and functioning parachute. The most common causes being poorly-executed, radical maneuvers near to the ground, such as hook turns, or landing flares performed either too high or too low.