Canadian Skydiver Completes 41 Somersaults to Set World Record
Marc-Olivier Desmarais used approximately 10,000 feet of freefall to surpass a record that had stood since 2020.
Canadian skydiver Marc-Olivier Desmarais has established a Guinness World Record by completing 41 somersaults during a single skydive over Saint-Esprit, Quebec.
Desmarais began the record attempt after exiting an aircraft at approximately 13,000 feet above Parachute Montreal. He immediately started rotating through a rapid series of somersaults, completing 41 before stopping the maneuver and deploying his parachute above 3,000 feet.
Two independent camera flyers accompanied Desmarais and recorded the attempt with GoPro cameras. Their footage provided Guinness World Records with independent documentation of the jump and the number of completed rotations.
The previous record was 32 somersaults, established by Australian skydiver Craig Lewis in Zephyrhills, Florida, in November 2020. Desmarais surpassed that total by nine rotations.
Maintaining Control While Spinning
Performing repeated somersaults in freefall requires more than the ability to rotate quickly. A skydiver must maintain body control, monitor altitude and preserve enough time to stop the rotation, regain a stable position and safely deploy the parachute.
Any loss of orientation could make it more difficult to read an altimeter or determine the skydiver’s position relative to other people in the air. Desmarais prepared for the record with several practice jumps designed to determine the conditions and technique that would allow him to complete the greatest number of rotations safely.
The actual record jump took place on June 24, 2026. Guinness formally featured the accomplishment in late August after reviewing and confirming the evidence.
A Second Record One Month Later
Desmarais returned to the sky only 31 days later to pursue another rotational skydiving record.
On July 25, he exited at approximately 13,500 feet and performed 59 consecutive barrel rolls during a single freefall. Guinness subsequently recognized that performance as the record for the most consecutive barrel rolls while skydiving.
Unlike a forward somersault, which rotates the skydiver head over heels, a barrel roll turns the body along its length. Maintaining a controlled rolling motion through 59 rotations required Desmarais to preserve his momentum without allowing the maneuver to become unstable.
The two 2026 achievements brought his collection to three Guinness World Records. Desmarais had previously completed 36 backward somersaults during a 2024 skydive, nearly doubling the earlier record of 19.
Thousands of Jumps Behind the Records
Desmarais began skydiving in 2009 at the age of 17. He has since completed more than 3,750 jumps and earned a USPA D license, the organization’s highest-level skydiving license.
That experience provided the foundation for a series of record attempts centered on controlled aerial rotation. While the finished videos show only a brief period of freefall, each performance depended on extensive training, precise altitude awareness and the ability to stop spinning with enough time remaining for a safe parachute deployment.
With 41 somersaults, 59 barrel rolls and 36 backward somersaults now in the record books, Desmarais has become one of the most accomplished rotational skydivers in the sport.
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