Posted on 12/08/2010 10:27:33 AM PST by Tom Hawks
The world is full of men and women who enjoy living on the edge, those who will not back down to a challenge that seems to dangerous for most people to even consider.A person with that type of personality is said to be a reckless free spirit that has a devil-may-care attitude. They seem to project to the world that "The devil may worry about what I'm doing, but I sure as hell don't." The most popular word used to describe those individuals is, "Daredevil"
Well, that would describe Tyler Bradt, a 24 year old professional whitewater kayaker who currently holds the unofficial world record for riding his kayak over the 186-foot Palouse Falls in Washington State on April 21, 2009. That my friends is something very few individuals would even admit that they have contemplated, let a lone go through with. Well that is what Tyler did, and that is what you will see in the video below.
When asked what it was like to go off the edge of the world as his kayak lifted off the river into the falls, Tyler said,
"There was a stillness at first, then an acceleration, unlike anything I've ever felt before. It was amazing being slingshotted off. It happened so quick that I never had that feeling of acceleration before. I mean, going from 0 to a million miles per hour in the course of a 15 to 20 foot lift before my kayak entered into an almost 90% turn downwards. The final impact unlike anything I've ever felt before. I wasn't sure if I was hurt or not. My body was just in shock."
As much as he will be accused for taking risks that put his life on the line, Tyler says that he only decided to go through with it after he saw that there was a smooth green tongue of water that carries about a third of the way down the falls. When he entered the water on April 21, Tyler said he emptied his mind and began to paddle slowly into the river towards the falls. He says he only made a few tiny adjustments during the 3.7-second free fall. He wanted to make sure he was not launched into the air as he went off the falls, so he tucked his nose to the kayak, kept his body tense, and directed his boat into the heart of the torrent, where the aerated water cushioned his landing. After six seconds beneath the surface, he re-emerged with a broken paddle, a sprained wrist, and a world record.
Follow the link below to see the video of a
Kayaker Going Off a 186 Ft Water Falls
This guy either has a pair the size of bowling balls, or a brain the size of a pea.
or health insurance paid for by you and me.
Just saw the whole video and I vote for option #1.
I don’t know how he fit ‘em in that kayak, personally!!
I would not hit that.
They probably helped him float to the top when he finally his the pool at the bottom.
LOL! Maybe so.
In 1990 another kayaker tried going over Niagara Falls. His body was never recovered.
Wow.
I remember reading of daredevils doing that in barrels back in the 1920’s. If I not mistaking, only one ever survived and that’s why they outlawed it.
Isn’t this just a modern version of going over Niagra falls in a barrel?
"Stay thirsty, my friend."
There’s a much greater volume of water, and a lot of turbulence at the base of Niagara Falls. I have visited Palouse Falls, and photographed it, several times. I don’t know how deep the plunge pool is, but I doubt there are any boulders in it. Not that I would undertake such a stunt, being basically a non-swimmer, but for a daredevil so inclined, this seems a suitable site for it.
Thanks for the direct link...home viewing bookmark.
Heck His Mom is the Hero! Can’t imagine getting a call from him saying he’s going to do a little boating!
Big frickin deal!!! I’d put our guys fighting the enemy up against him any day! Not as brave as our guys in the military!
Tom Hawks posted a video from my site. It is a video of a kayaker going off a 186 foot waterfall in Washington State. It is quite a daring feat that left him with only a sprained wrist, a few bruises, and a broken paddle. I also have another video of Tyler Bradt being interviewed about the feat. The video itself is quite awe inspiring........
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