Sunday, January 3, 2010
Highest waterfall dive - world record set by
Di Huanran
Heilongjiang province, China -- Di Huanran,
51, leapt into the 25-m-high Diaoshuilou Waterfall 26 years
after undertaking his first dive-setting the new world record
for the Highest
waterfall dive.
Photo: Di Huanran, 51, leaps into the
25-m-high Diaoshuilou Waterfall in Heilongjiang province,
setting hte new world record for the Highest
waterfall dive. Photo Courtesy of Di Huanran (enlarge
photo)
Cliff diving replaced chauffeuring as
Di's livelihood in 2002, when the Jingpo Lake park and forestry
bureau hired him to stage regular performances.
He earns an annual salary of about 50,000
Yuan (7,315 dollar) working five months per year.
The previous
Guinness World Record for the highest
waterfall dive was set by Di Huanran on Sept
21, 2008, with a 12.19-m-high plunge from Diaoshuilou.
"I'll never forget that first dive," he
says.
"I was surprised to find the waterfall was
as comfortable as a natural shower and not at all as dangerous
as it was rumored," he says. "Nothing bad happened, but I
felt so good." Soon after, Di gained acclaim as China's first
cliff diver.
Aquatic sports became his passion at age
8, and he joined a local swim team as a teenager. The squad
earned a good reputation for retrieving drowning and drowned
people from the water. Di says he long ago lost count of how
many lives he saved and bodies he recovered. "We wanted to
let people know we didn't only swim for the sake of swimming
but also to help the community," he says.
He plans to dive from a higher point on
Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's 40-m-high Detian Cataract,
one of Asia's largest waterfalls, next year. However, he declines
to discuss specifics.
The swimmer explains that after more than a decade
of leaping from cliffs and bridges, diving sets his mind racing
faster than his heart.
To hone his balance, Di began riding
a unicycle in 2002 - an activity he says is much trickier
than diving. He warms up for every plunge with a 10-minute
riding session.
Di makes more than 100 dives annually
and continues to push his limits, he says. His reason: "Somebody
has to do it."
Related world records:
Longest
saltwater dive-world record set by Robert Silva
Youngest
wing-walker-world record set by Tiger Brewer
Biggest
skydiving formation-US skydivers sets world record
Running
the longest distance while on fire-Keith Malcolm sets world
record
Oldest
wing walker-world record set by Tom Lackey
Highest
waterfall kayak plunge-world record set by Tyler Bradt
Sunday,
January 3, 2010
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