Sports

Here’s What it Looks Like to Kayak Over a 90-Foot Waterfall

Three Men Kayak Over Noccalula Falls 90 Foot Drop Unharmed

Late last month, three extreme kayakers took what could be the largest plunge down a waterfall in the southeastern United States. Pat Keller, Isaac Levinson and Chris Gragtmans made it down the 90-foot drop of Noccalula Falls in Alabama amazingly unharmed.

Watch the footage of the crew going down:

“Why? Why would you do that?” HLN‘s Vinnie Politan who hosted two of the men on the show couldn’t have said it better. Watch their response here:

International Business Times reports that the North Carolinian men may seem reckless in taking such a risk, but it was actually well-planned out, with several factors taken into account to ensure the drop was as safe as possible:

“A couple of waves on the way in made it complicated; the lip was one of the most terrifying things I’ve seen when it comes to waterfalls,” Keller, who made the first descent, told Canoe & Kayak. “It had a bump under the surface that changed the water’s trajectory, shooting you farther out than you wanted.”

Keller tossed his paddle for safety halfway down the nine-story fall and emerged still in his kayak, pumping his fists in excitement.

“I was so excited that within 15 seconds of Pat running it I grabbed my boat,” Levinson told C&K. He took the plunge with a GoPro video camera mounted on his helmet.

Gragtmans went last and actually kept his paddle in hand. It snapped across his chest on impact, knocking the wind out of him.

Three Men Kayak Over Noccalula Falls 90 Foot Drop Unharmed

IBTimes includes a brief transcript from a 911 call reporting the men:

“I’d like to report some crazy people going over the falls,” Noccalula Falls supervisor Janet Terrance told the 911 dispatcher after three kayakers plunged over the 90-foot falls … on purpose.

The footage from the falls will be included in a film called ”Watershed: Land of Giants,” coming out on Dec. 24, according to IBTimes.

This story has been updated since its original posting as it mistakingly said “southwestern” instead of “southeastern”.

Comments (75)

1 2
  • mauijonny
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 2:32pm

    They KNOW they’re alive! I‘ve been out in 20’ ocean swells in an ourigger canoe – it’s an extremely vivid, exciting, and absolutely gorgeous (if not slightly terrifying) memory.

    Report Post » mauijonny  
    • loriann12
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 4:20pm

      All I did was row a homemade kayak around an island in Kentucky Lake….

      Report Post »  
  • bigbrother3
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 1:30pm

    The South Falsl in Silver Falls State Park in Oregon drops 177. Multnomah Falls may even be more of a drop..
    Not to many have made it over the South Falls and lived.

    Report Post »  
  • shakedowncrews
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:58pm

    nicely said. Can you imagine, if our government today was around in 1830s they would have prohibited that anyone move west “lest they hurt themselves”. Generations of Americans grew up with their chilrdren working on the farm, milking cows and cutting hay and harvesting crops during long hours, and now our damnable govt wants to ban all that because it’s just not good for kids. Can you believe that? They tell us we have a childhood obesity epidemic and then ban our children from hard work on the farms.

    Government bureacrats are more dangerously stupid than any extreme athlete I’ve ever seen.

    Report Post » shakedowncrews  
  • housetops
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:44pm

    ‘largest plunge down a waterfall in the southwestern United States… Noccalula Falls in Alabama” wHAT?

    Report Post »  
    • Marci
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:50pm

      Go figure, I had no idea Alabama was right next to Arizona. And I live in Arizona.

      Report Post » Marci  
    • RichNGadsden
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 1:11pm

      LOL, this is in my home town and I can assure everybody that we are actually in the South East. Even though the author of the story can’t get it right one of the kayakers being interviewed at least got it right when he stated that it was in the South East. I still find this funny as a poke in the eyes of the local authorities who have just ruined the park.

      Report Post » RichNGadsden  
  • go2gym
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:41pm

    When I am paying for their healthcare, by government force, will I be able to demand that this behavior cease?

    Report Post »  
    • shakedowncrews
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:49pm

      you AREN’T paying for their healthcare, dingbat. These boaters are not irresponsibly living off the government. They are famous pioneers in their sport and are sponsored by boating and outdoor companies, they make and sell videos to people like me, and they are great business people who are both athletes and entertainers.

      Would you apply your ignorant statement to Bode Miller or Lindsey Vaughn? Becuase these guys are the kayaking equivalent to first rate athletes.

      Report Post » shakedowncrews  
    • SATAN_LOVES_LIBERALS
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 2:01pm

      When (not if) these idiots get hurt, who pays the bill for the ambulance and rescue team?

      Report Post »  
    • RoqueGerig
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 3:33pm

      Go. Some of us get it, that yes our freedoms will be seriously reduced once the government becomes our health provider.

      Report Post »  
    • loriann12
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 4:22pm

      I think that was a look forward to when Obamacare kicks in and everyone has the cadillac plan from the government….you know the one, where, I, as a post-menapausal woman, am required to carry maternity insurance.

      Report Post »  
    • Ok-Sure
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 4:48pm

      As i have said before Pseudo-Conservative, Pseudo-Tea Partiers, Pseudo-Americans. You have mistaken slavery for freedom. GO2GYM maybe GO2LIBRARY?

      Report Post »  
    • wntsmallgov
      Posted on December 23, 2011 at 3:57am

      @ crews, my health care bill went from 133 to 156 a week. So yes indirectly we are paying for the healthcare bill already. I am sure it is going to get worse. We will be paying for it in more ways than one.
      Check out the doctor in Canada that did surgery on a mans hand to save it. He was fined 8k for the procedure when the board said no. To either cut if off or leave it alone.

      Report Post » wntsmallgov  
  • schroeder123
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:17pm

    Had a gang of Boaters stay at the house, Purana Team. They truly are Crazy !

    Report Post » schroeder123  
  • stloocardsfan
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:09pm

    Glad they did it so I don’t have to.

    Report Post » stloocardsfan  
  • BootsAreWalkin
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:01pm

    Don’t try this at home kids.

    Report Post » BootsAreWalkin  
    • ishka4me
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:20pm

      I am an avid whitewater kayaker. This year alone I spent over 100 day on river. I paddled class 3 and class 4 water, my favorite are The Kennebec river Maine and the Ottawa River in Canada. These guys are experts in this extreme waterfall run. Some people will say they are crazy, but they are not. Years and years of training , research, and practice go into what they do. I love the big water but would never consider this type of paddling but The American spirit drives them and though it isn’t a world record, I do celebrate the feat. There are no big paychecks, nobody is there to get their autographs, but luckily we have their video to view. Congratulations to the paddlers.

      Report Post »  
    • mrsalvage2
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:56pm

      Yes, don’t try this at home, because all of the water flowing out of teh Bathtub will destroy the house.

      Report Post » mrsalvage2  
  • windwalker
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 11:39am

    Big deal, check out this kayaker going over a 186 foot water fall, a world record. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNXh9gXDd2Y&feature=related

    Report Post » windwalker  
  • NC1
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 11:30am

    Having done a lot of whitewater kayaking in the past I’d have to say, yes, those guys are crazy. You have to be at least half crazy to whitewater kayak. BUT… I can say at least two things about this. 1-they probably studied their run for at least half an hour prior to doing it, if not days, months or years before and just waited for the right water level to pull it off. 2- they hold no one responsible for their actions but themselves. They know they’ve made a choice to do something crazy (foolish) and wouldn’t even think about suing the park system for their injury or the death of one of their friends.
    The spirit of freedom that made this country lives in the souls of these people. The tattle-tale, nanny state tyranny that lives in the people that called 911 on them is what is destroying this country. And too, those guys more than likely have good health insurance. All the people I ever paddled with did. They were responsible enough to take care of themselves. Is what they did right? Maybe not is some peoples minds but it isn’t wrong. They didn’t put anyone else in harms way unlike others (i.e. drunk driving) they were just wanting to have some fun outside. Some little narc had to go and ruin it. Glad they pulled it off.

    Report Post » NC1  
    • Scooder
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 11:54am

      One thing these people don’t give a single thought about, the lives that they put at risk when things go wrong. How many of these “extreme” sports people go out, end up in trouble and the tax payer is responsible for their rescues. Look into just how many rescuers have been injured or killed having to go rescue these idiots just because they needed their adrenaline rush, or wanted to film and impress their buddies, or whatever their reason. If we the tax payer never had to go in and rescue these idiots I could personally give a s#^t what they do.

      Report Post »  
    • ishka4me
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:31pm

      scooder, more people die each year decorating their Christmas trees. The people who do big water atre trained in rescue, have a group safety with up river and down river teams, throw ropes and have years of expert training. This is not a crowd that swill j d before going on the river. Becoming a white water paddler has changed my life. The problems I have seen on the rivers is the people with no experiece, no training, improper gear using rafts or tubes without a personal floatation device. I have done several rescues of these types just this year. The crew involved in this have much, much more rescue training in swift water then any fire and rescue. Many kayakers will tell the ill prepared or illequipped novices in a frank manner to get off the river.Most place we paddle there is little chance of calling for rescue because they are remote and have no cell service or full time fire departments. Self rescue, self preservation and group rescue is always and i mean always talked about, practiced and planned for.

      Report Post »  
    • NC1
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:35pm

      Did they need to be rescued? No. Do people need to be rescued from car crashes and other emergencies that also put the rescuer in danger? Absolutely. But people aren’t going to stop driving or doing whatever it is they do where an accident may happen and the need to be rescued may occur. After watching the video and listening to their experience I’d trust those guys in a swift water rescue event. They had a recovery boater at the bottom (an Olympic one at that) so they had rescue and recovery in mind. Did you pay attention to how they ditched their paddles halfway down the falls? This is done in order to not dislocate their shoulders when they hit the water at the bottom, which would hamper the swimming ability if they were out of their boat. I think they thought it through pretty well. Not all crazy people have to rescued from themselves.

      Report Post » NC1  
    • NC1
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:38pm

      Right on ISHKA4ME.

      Report Post » NC1  
    • SATAN_LOVES_LIBERALS
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 2:03pm

      They wouldn’t sue the park system. Their insurance companies would. Thats how it works.

      Report Post »  
    • Starkadder
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 2:50pm

      Scooder
      Here in Washington State if you need search and rescue, they send you a bill which is usually tens of thousands of dollars.

      Report Post » Starkadder  
  • bjornskis
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 11:19am

    Idiots plain and simple maybe they wont live long enough to breed

    Report Post »  
    • shakedowncrews
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:54pm

      You are just ignorant. Guys like Tao Berman, Pat Keller and others have been doing this for years without serious injury because they are NOT idiots. They take the same scientific, informed approach to this sport as extreme skiers or professional mountainiers do.

      It’s the “lower level” kayakers that make the most mistakes. These guys have worked for years to reach this level of performance. You couldn’t possibly understand unless you studied the culture, watched their films and saw that they truly train like olympians to be able to do this.

      Report Post » shakedowncrews  
  • windwalker
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 11:14am

    So what just 90 feet? Check this video of a guy going over a 186 foot water fall in eastern Washington http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNXh9gXDd2Y&feature=related . Its the world record by the way.

    Report Post » windwalker  
    • NC1
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 11:37am

      Did they call the cops on him? Doubt they did.

      Report Post » NC1  
  • Darla_K
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:59am

    Looks like fun, but will stick to parachuting. LOL

    Report Post » Darla_K  
  • RightThinking1
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:51am

    Southwestern United States? C’mon Blaze…, for the love of Mike, do some proofreading.

    Report Post »  
  • banjarmon
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:47am

    Hold MY BEER and Watch this!!!!!!!

    Report Post » banjarmon  
  • 4X4in
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:47am

    Just the south, not the east!

    Report Post »  
  • skitrees
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:41am

    …and just think…soon we‘ll live in a nation where we all have to pay for these folks’ medical bills when they try something “too big” or land on a rock. Yep – penalize the folks who drink soda for driving up health care costs, but I guess there’s no problem paying for the health care of folks like these, the NFL players, NHL, NBA, the marathon runners, the skiers, rock climbers, etc. – all who can avoid taking on dangers, but do so anyway (and soon to be at our costs). Fact is, super healthy people take on more risks than unhealthy people…but isn’t socialism great?!

    Report Post »  
    • UseReasonNotMagic
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 8:38pm

      @Skitrees

      Did you really say “Fact is, super healthy people take on more risks than unhealthy people”
      Only an overweight person could rationalize it this way.

      If you are unhealthy (meaning overweight), you are at higher risk of all sorts of medical conditions all of the time. The risk level of doing normal things like jogging to catch a bus or walking up a flight of stairs are more risky in general for an unhealthy person. (the more unhealthy the greater the risk)

      I do not know of a way to measure this, but I would guess the amount of risk the average obese american accrues during their whole life adds up to way more risk than an extreme waterfallers life.

      Just because you choose not to recognize it, doesn’t mean its not true. Being overweight GREATLY increases risk of medical issues.

      More people die from being unhealthy and overweight than kayaking x 1000.

      Go outside and live a little, its never too late to get off your arse and do something

      Report Post »  
    • skitrees
      Posted on December 21, 2011 at 9:05am

      @UseReasonNotLogic:

      Ummm – First, you apply your OWN meaning to my words (i.e. “unhealthy” = “overweight”), and then you make a personal attack against me based on your own ASSUMPTIONS. (I’m not sure I understand how either “REASON” or “LOGIC” actually apply to your moniker).

      Fact: “super healthy people take on more risks than unhealthy people” – if you insist on applying your OWN meaning to these words, then your fight is with yourself and I can’t really help you out. However, using “REASON,” you ought to be able to figure it out on your own…you might even be forced to use a little….”logic!” —- (Before calling me fat, you might have checked my moniker as well)

      Report Post »  
  • scuba13
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:28am

    Hey look, the U.S. economy going over the edge.

    Report Post » scuba13  
  • Frodo RinosBane
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:16am

    Alabama is in the southeast

    Report Post » Frodo RinosBane  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:15am

    Well now I have seen the ultimate of insanity.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • lukerw
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:14am

    The Lemming gene… in action!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • cntrlfrk
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:14am

    Not for me.

    http://demotivators.despair.com/believeinyourselfdemotivator.jpg

    Report Post » cntrlfrk  
  • maroon67
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:12am

    That’s extreme!…ly Awesome!

    Report Post » maroon67  
  • c.rozycki
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:06am

    Looks like fun.

    Report Post » c.rozycki  
  • CleanUpAisle2013
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:05am

    Kind of reminds me of Barack Hussein Obama’s leadership as he plunges our nation towards total socialism.

    Report Post » CleanUpAisle2013  
    • Darla_K
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 11:01am

      Good point. :)

      Report Post » Darla_K  
    • shakedowncrews
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 12:47pm

      that was STUPID. Obama wants to create a nation of whiny spineless punks who rely upon the nanny state for everything and blame society and the world for their misfortunes. These guys are highly trained, self-reliant people who take full responsibility for their decisions.

      Piss poor attempt to make a misplaced political jab.

      Report Post » shakedowncrews  
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