jet skiing at the top of niagara falls
wasn't your best idea you're already
beginning to lose feeling in your body
the niagara river rarely gets much above
freezing so hypothermia could be setting
in
but that's not your biggest problem
since you're near horseshoe falls
with its 57 meter drop the water rushes
over the edge of the falls at
kilometers an hour and it's taking you
with it
here's how to survive niagara falls
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niagara falls stands about 54 meters
tall an astonishing
168 000 cubic meters of water cascades
over the brink every day
that's a crushing 2832
tons of water per second this will not
be like an
average water park plunge does it make a
difference if you're in some kind of
contraption
will diving in head first help you to
make it out alive
and if we ask you to tense up would you
believe us
there's something enticing about the
niagara river and its three sets of
waterfalls
by some counts about a dozen people have
made it over niagara falls without
protection
or some kind of custom-built contraption
but even if you build a vessel to ride
in you have very sketchy odds of coming
out the other side
alive an estimated 20 people are
collected from the bottom of the niagara
river
under the falls each year much like san
francisco's golden gate bridge
there's something enticing about the
niagara river and the three sets of
waterfalls there
the water moves quickly sometimes
silently
and sometimes it roars it starts above
in the niagara river
then it will carry you into the rapids
over the brink
into the rocky depths below and then
to the massive natural whirlpool
for some troubled souls the falls are
like the golden gate bridge
they see an aspect of finality and think
jumping from here will surely end my
life
but these steps might just save your
life
step one hold your breath
instead of screaming as you approach the
brink take as deep a breath as possible
and hold it as long as you can
the fall itself will be quick but if you
are lucky enough to survive the
death-defying plunge
it's best if your lungs aren't filled
with water
about 20 people go over niagara falls
each year
most intending to end their life
but fewer than 20 people have gone over
without protection and survived
it's possible but not very likely and
even people who have used elaborate and
carefully built contraptions
have ended up smashed bits on the rocks
below
dismembered from the fall or suffocated
from being sucked into the spray
but if you've got a lucky four-leaf
clover or guardian angel on your side
that day
it's not impossible to survive in 2013
kirk jones wore two winter coats for
cushioning when he made his
intentional trip over the falls
something he initially claimed was done
to end his life but his family said it
was a premeditated stunt
he suffered broken ribs and a bruised
spine but survived
he was charged by canadian authorities
for unlawfully performing stunt and
criminal mischief
and had to pay a three thousand dollar
fine
four years later jones decided to try
his stun again
plotting a second trip over the falls in
an inflatable ball
he didn't make it out alive that time
step two feet first
remember such a steep drop will have a
lot of force
going over feet first let your feet and
legs take the brunt of the impact
this helps divers who jump from great
heights including cliff divers
step three arms up
put your arms over your head your nose
and your elbows and try to protect your
skull and face
step four tense yourself
clench every muscle in your body as
tightly as possible
including your lips this makes you as
water tight as you can be without a
wetsuit or any proper equipment
and press your legs together too step 5
remember your swimming lessons
the bubbles and turbulence at the bottom
of the russian pounding water
will make it hard for you to orient
yourself
finding out which way is up will be
tricky especially when you're
desperate to breathe
there's also debris a kind of liquid
dust
from pulverized rocks that makes the
water under the falls even harder to see
through
if you've made it to the bottom alive
try and swim toward the surface
come up through the foam then swim
downstream
away from the froth and out into the
river
if anyone saw you go over or if it's
tourist season
it's possible someone has already called
for help and a rescue team might be on
the way
step six chill out
okay we admit that staying completely
calm is not
very realistic but try to be as calm as
you can
so you can think better and increase
your chance of surviving
and process very quickly and take
whatever actions you can
to give yourself the best chance of
survival
the adrenaline you'll experience will
help you up to a point
just like it helps people lift cars in
moments of intense danger
you'll want that super human strength
step seven don't fall in
the best way to survive falling into
niagara falls
is to not fall in obey all the many
many warning signs that advise people to
stay off the rocks
barriers and anything near the falls
that could be slippery
superman will not come swooping in out
of nowhere to save you
police and rescue workers who have
pulled some of the incredibly lucky
people who survived going over the brink
have mostly chalked it up to well luck
and speaking of luck hopefully when you
crawl out of the water
you won't look up at the sky full of
incoming
asteroids but if you do we have you
covered
right here on how to survive
you