Jim Coffey, of Davidson, Quebec, claims to have broken the record for highest successful waterfall descent in an open canoe.
The former record, which had been unchallenged for over 20 years, was held by American Steve Frazier after descending Big Falls (16m) on the Elk River in North Carolina (USA).
Coffey’s accomplishment was made on the Cascada de Truchas (18m) on the Alsaseca River in a remote part of Mexico in the State of Veracruz.
Coffey, who owns a whitewater tour company in Mexico, had been considering running the falls for four years. Coffey states, “It is nice to get some notoriety for our sport by raising the bar. With modern boat designs and strong up and coming paddlers, i think you will see canoes going harder, faster, bigger and taller than what they have ever done before”.
