A Florida Tattoo Artist Broke a Guinness World Record — for the Highest Altitude Skydive While Performing a Self-Tattoo
As if jumping out of a plane wasn't bad enough, needles had to be involved.
According to People, 38-year-old tattoo artist Funky Matas from Miami just broke a Guinness World Record, and it isn’t even his first time doing so. Matas previously earned another world record in August 2025 for having the most signatures tattooed on the body (male) — 273 in total. This time around, he managed to break the world record for the highest altitude skydive while performing a self-tattoo.
Matas’ attempt at breaking this new record came on June 8, 2026, when he dove from a plane flying at 15002.98 feet. Then, while falling through the air, he inked the word “fly” onto his hand (a tattoo placement not recommended for those seeking a non-tattoo artist career).
When he explained his desire to break the record to Guinness World Records, he said, “I love adrenaline, tattoos and rebellion – so it was a no brainer for me.”
Tattooing in the Sky Was No Walk in the Park
Finding a skydiving company willing to assist Matas with his stunt was the first obstacle faced. After an extensive process, he ultimately ended up at Jump Florida Skydive.
He shared with People another significant obstacle: “The day of the jump, […] we proceeded to duct tape the machine to my hand so that it didn’t fly off while I was at freefall.”
Then, there was the tattoo ink. Because he couldn’t top it up mid-fall, the amount he had to work with was limited. However, considering the altitude he was falling from, there was a possibility that the ink would freeze before he had a chance to finish the tattoo.
The speed of the freefall also posed a challenge, as it might have rendered the tattoo shaky and unreadable. However, as Matas explained to People, “Considering we were going about 120 miles an hour I think it came out pretty good. It’s definitely legible.”
In a video of the stunt shared on Matas’ Instagram account, one can see how quickly he appears to be working to complete the tattoo. He manages to show off a brief glimpse of the finished product far before reaching the ground, where he then gives the camera a better, close-up view.
Breaking More Records in the Future
Breaking the skydiving self-tattooing record took less time to achieve than inking signatures onto his skin. To meet that goal, Matas had to get celebrities, including Martha Stewart, Tony Hawk, Usain Bolt, and Bad Bunny, to sign their names on his back before having the signatures permanently tattooed. (For those curious, Matas has also shared videos of himself on Instagram receiving some of these celebrity signatures. Some of their reactions to his signature collection are amusing.)
Both world-record-breaking experiences have left Matas wanting to go further in his accomplishments.
As he shared with People, “Some sort of fire has been lit under my butt that has made me want to continue breaking more world records. So I’m sure you guys and the world are going to see a lot more of me coming soon with some crazy ideas.”
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