Thrill-seeking cuber breaks solve record after jumping from plane in first-ever skydive

A thrill-seeking puzzle cube fan has set himself the challenge of solving them in very unusual settings.

Ishaan Hadkar (USA) previously pulled off a stunt solving 10 Rubik’s Cubes while he was scuba diving.

And now, he’s taken to the skies to break the record for most rotating puzzle cubes solved in a single skydive.

Diving from 13,000 ft over Oceanside, California, Ishaan completely solved two cubes before his feet touched the ground.

Believe it or not, this was actually the 24-year-old’s first time skydiving!

Ishaan, who is currently working on his own startup venture, said: “I had absolutely no idea what to expect or how it would feel. During my first record attempt, which was also my first ever skydive, one of my cubes actually broke mid-air.

“But I didn’t want to give up, so I immediately got on the next plane and attempted the record again the very next minute.”

Ishaan became fascinated with puzzle cubes when he was 10 years old after seeing his cousin solve one.

He asked him to teach him how to do it and realized he was actually rather good. He soon started taking part in competitions and even winning them.

On his latest challenge, Ishaan said: “It was definitely challenging, especially with no prior skydiving experience. The weather was windy and cloudy that day, and on top of that, you’re dealing with speeds of around 120 mph during freefall.

“I still used the same solving technique I use on land, but I had to hold the cube much tighter than usual because of the wind force.

“I started solving during freefall right after jumping out of the plane, once the instructor signalled that I was stable and ready to go. However, I messed up my PLL (the final step in solving the Rubik’s Cube), mainly because the wind pressure affected my muscle memory.

“I completed the first cube around five to six seconds after the parachute deployed, while the second cube was solved entirely under the parachute.”

Read about more cool experiences like this in our dedicated Hobbies and Skills section.

Despite it being his first time skydiving, Ishaan says he wasn’t too worried about dropping his cubes and was confident he could keep control of them during his jump.

He said: “With records, there’s never really an end. Right after landing, my first thought was that I could have probably solved five cubes in the air! That said, I was absolutely thrilled to have the record approved by Guinness World Records. It felt like a major milestone in my 14-year cubing journey.”

Ishaan has more adrenaline-fuelled challenges planned and is continuing to push himself to solve cubes in unusual settings.

For now, he’s grateful that his first-ever skydive became even more special by breaking a record, and wants to thank GoJump Oceanside for supporting his unusual request.