So kayaking isn’t the most extreme sport in the world, but what about kayaking with a Blue Whale – you know, the largest animal on earth. That’s not good enough? What about if you went swimming with it? Well that’s exactly what this brave fellow, Rick Coleman did.
Out for a nice little kayak trip in Redondo Beach, California, and all of a sudden a Blue Whale surfaces next to him. That would be enough to make most of us pee our pants, but this man, in true Nerve Rush fashion, decided to jump in and swim next to the set of Blue Whales. Luckily, he had one of our trusty GoPro cameras strapped to his helmet and captured the whole thing on video. Well done Rick, Nerve Rush salutes you.
New gear = time for a new photoshoot. Jeff McKee and the guys from Slingshot wakeboarding take to the water at Clear Lake to show off their new gear and some killer tricks. Enjoy.
A beautifully composed video of Guillaume Néry, a French free-diver that specializes in Constant Weight free-diving, exploring Dean’s Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole in the world. Dean’s Blue Hole is located in a bay just west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas and plunges 202 metres (663 ft) deep.
Defining the world’s most dangerous sports remains a tricky subject, mainly due to limited data and a reluctance among organizers and participants to publicize deaths in their sport.
If an activity involves being exposed to the elements of using special equipment on an inherently incontrollable and unpredictable environment, we’re classifying it as a dangerous sport.
Here are ten of the most dangerous:
I discovered this infographic when researching the world’s most dangerous and extreme sports. I’m not sure when it was put together, or how the numbers were culled, but regardless of the validity of the data, it’s an interesting list to think about.
A lot of thought put into this, but I wouldn’t necessarily agree with the list. White water rafting? BMX? What about mountaineering, or free-climbing? The latter is particularly daunting.
Cool footage of a skimboarder playing around in an approaching beach storm. His buddy captured the footage on a GoPro HD camera rigged to a broom pole–points for innovation–so we’re left with some pretty cool angles. And I thought skimboarding was kind of lame, boy was I wrong.
Prized by rock climbers for its steepness, soundness and crack systems–some of the best rock climbing spots in the world, like Yosemite, the Mont Blanc Massif and parts of the Karakoram are granite climbs–granite is also good for cliff jumping.
Many of New England’s abandoned granite quarries fill with rain and groundwater and become lakes. Others are converted into landfills. Some, like Boston’s Quincy Quarries Reservation, are filled in and become popular rock climbing spots.
On Labor Day, I traveled outside of Boston to a top-secret granite quarry with a few friends. The day was perfect, the water deep, the sandwiches delectable to the palate. And there wasn’t another person in site, an ideal setting to goof off, swim around and document the day with picture and video.
One of the highest jumps is around 35 ft. and has one of the clearest water exits I’ve ever seen. This is me running and jumping:
Remember the Blob? Always the highlight of any summer camp or lake experience. Watch the world’s highest Blob jump, certified by the Guinness Book of World Records in June 2011. 17 meters, in Cham, Switzerland. Too cool.
Our inaugural interview! And boy, is it a good one.
Tammy Camp, deemed the “Lara Croft of the Internet,” is an American entrepreneur, public speaker, angel investor and private equity advisor based out of San Francisco. In addition to all of her business success, she also has a wide range of eclectic interests and is an avid kiteboarder, holding the world record for the most number of consecutive backloops in one minute.
I sat down with Tammy (or Tamikaze, as she’s known to her friends) to discuss her world record experience, her history with kiteboarding and how she used IndieGoGo to crowdfund her trip. Thanks again, Tammy!
When she’s not busy closing big-time business deals or catching massive air out on the water, Tammy is busy polishing her acting chops in her new web series Bootstrap: an Office/30 Rock take on Silicon Valley.
Check it out and see yet another side of Tammy. Watch Bootstrap.
Oh, and how could we forget her World Record Video? Check out her record smashing experience on video and see why Nerve Rush absolutely loves Tammy Camp (is there anything she can’t do?).
The best waterfall adventure you’ve never heard of.
A couple years back, I lived in the Dominican Republic for a good 3 1/2 months. I’ve never been one for the “tourist traps’ so while we saw some great beaches and stayed at some nice resorts, it was the low-key, hard-to-find adventures that really drew me in.
Enter 27 Charcos:
Meaning 27 waterfalls in Spanish, this adventure tour was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and haven’t experienced since. Developed in 1994, this little spot on the north side of the island is getting popular, but still fairly unknown and not often crowded.
Carved out of limestone by the Rio Damajagua as it’s flowing to the ocean, you literally adventure through 27 waterfalls accompanied by guides and a few, although minimal, climbing ladders, ropes and the like.
You can book a tour to see 7, 12, or all 27 waterfalls. We had limited time, so we only did 12, but I’m looking for the next available time where I can head back and do all 27! These tours usually cost less than $20/person plus whatever generous tip you decide to give your guide who helped you through this passage.
These 2-4 hour hikes are incredible as you climb up through the waterfalls themselves and do as much swimming through the experiences as you do hiking. Most groups, due to size and time limitations only do the first 7 waterfalls, but if you press onwards, your group can be virtually alone in the waterfalls with your guide.
Each waterfalls is a unique experience. Some you climb around, while others you climb right on up through witht eh help of a rope and your experienced guides.
Once you get to all 27, it’s time to come back down and this is where the real fun begins. Considering each waterfall is unique, coming down is a whole new adventure. Several of the cliffs are 30+ feet high and allow you to jump off into pools of crystalline turquoise blue water. Others, courteous of the smooth away limestone allow you to literally lie down and slide down the waterfall as if it were a large natural waterslide.
27 Charcos is the best Dominican Republic adventure you’ve never heard of. And while the website and media provided do not do the adventure justice, it’s an experience you truly have to do first hand to appreciate. Next time you’re down in the Dominican Republic, skip the beaches and head straight for 27 charcos, you won’t regret it. Just make sure you bring a waterproof camera.
