(Palouse Falls)
Posted on 12/08/2010 10:27:33 AM PST by Tom Hawks
(Palouse Falls)
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
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