This video collection highlights whitewater kayaking videos from some of the most dangerous paddling locations in the world.
The video is from 2016 and since then, limits have been pushed and there are arguably other locations that should be added to this list.
However, these are four videos that are definitely still worth watching.
1. Rhine Falls in Switzerland
150m wide and 23m high, it is Europe’s largest playing waterfall. Running this fall in a kayak is extremely dangerous.
Ron Fisher not only wants to paddle this massive waterfall but also wants to do so at night under the moonlight.
He has a glow stick of sorts on his kayak to illuminate him so others can rescue him should he need it.
2. Tree Trunk Gorge in New Zealand
Rafa Ortiz, Ben Brown, Rush Sturges and Jared Meehan travel to New Zealand south island for the ultimate kayaking experience. The locals of the area all recommend this destination to the pro kayakers.
Hidden in thick forest, the Tree Trunk Gorge consists of a tight rapid narrowing down to just a single meter wide. Ben Brown says this is about as extreme a set of rapids you could hit.
3. Nelscott Reef in Lincoln City
Tao Bermon is training and testing for his Big Wave project in Lincoln City. The goal is to surf the largest wave ever surfed, but in a kayak on the ocean. With waves of up to 9m high, Bermon has a real challenge to face.
“I haven’t been pulled out of my kayak in well over 10 years. I just cut a little too deep, and I knew I was going to get hit, and at that point when I’m getting rag-dolled end-over-end I realized how insignificant you are out there,” Bermon said. After a few attempts, his project three years in the making came true.
4. Big Banana Falls in Mexico
Rafa Ortiz had a goal of dropping the 40m high waterfall known as Big Banana. Many people believed this to be a suicide mission at the time. The waterfall flows out of a canyon meaning once you are in the canyon, the only way out is over.
“The experiences I get from chasing waterfalls aren’t measured in meters nor records. My life’s goal is to die exhausted, instead of bored,” says Ortiz.
