Couple Sets Guinness World Record With 108 Tandem Skydives in 24 Hours
MANTEO, North Carolina — Most skydivers measure a big day in “how many loads did we get in?” Sven Jseppi and Heather McLay measured theirs in something far more extreme: 108 tandem jumps in a 24-hour period, a feat now officially recognized as a Guinness World Records title for the most tandem parachute jumps by an individual in 24 hours.
The husband-and-wife team completed the record on September 22, 2025, in Manteo, North Carolina, repeatedly climbing to altitude, exiting, deploying, landing, debriefing, repacking, and doing it all over again—more than one hundred times.
A Tandem Record That Demands More Than Nerves
According to Guinness World Records, Sven served as the instructor while Heather flew as his tandem partner for the entire attempt. That means every jump required the full tandem sequence—aircraft procedures, exit stability, canopy flight, landing accuracy, and rapid turnaround—executed with consistency under growing fatigue.
The mark of 108 eclipsed a previous benchmark that had stood since 2011, making the achievement both historic and especially meaningful to long-time jumpers familiar with how hard it is to sustain pace and safety under that kind of repetition.
“Turn and Burn” Skydiving on a Relentless Clock
Local reporting described a massive support effort involving pilots, packers, and ground crew who helped manage aircraft cycling, gear, and safety operations. One of the wildest stats: the team reportedly averaged just under nine minutes from landing to the next jump, with their quickest turnaround coming in under a minute—a number that shows just how aggressively optimized the operation had to be.
Those kinds of turnaround times put the attempt into “aviation pit crew” territory. Even elite speed rounds at busy drop zones are rarely this nonstop—and this record required that tempo while maintaining safe landings and consistent procedures across an entire day.
Built in the Outer Banks, Backed by a Skydiving Community
Jseppi and McLay are widely known in the region as the owners/operators of Skydive OBX, and the record attempt also drew spectators and community attention in Dare County. Coverage from the Outer Banks region framed the record not only as a personal milestone but as a showcase moment for local aviation and air sports culture.
In a sport where the spotlight often falls on single “hero moments,” this record represents something different: a marathon of professionalism, coordination, and consistency—108 times in a row.
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