Comments on: Drowning and waving.

Drowning and waving.

dobbs — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:45:45 -0800

Two men go skydiving with cameras on their helmets. For one of them, everything goes well. For the other... not so well: neither chute functions and he hits the ground at 80mph. Video footage and post jump interview here. {via waxy}

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:51:53 -0800

Wow! That's the most amazing video ever shown on the internet!

By: infinitywaltz

infinitywaltz — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:52:31 -0800

Read interview. Hyperventilating. Can't watch footage. Might faint at work. Also, Metafilter: Oh shit, I'm dead...Bye!

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:55:59 -0800

The lead up is a bit breathless, to be sure. Also, firefox wouldn't play it here, IE did, though.

By: popcassady

popcassady — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:56:23 -0800

That video made me smell blood in my nose.

By: Brittanie

Brittanie — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:56:45 -0800

This and the botched base jump video in last week's thread comments aren't really doing much for my acrophobia.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:59:16 -0800

I saw this earlier today when it was posted on ukclimbing.com, and it's good. Incredibly good. For that 'bye' if nothing else. About 10 years ago I had a long, unprotected fall while climbing and sustained multiple fractures, including two to my skull. Watching this - the hyperventilating, the dazed noncomprehension, the partner saying reassuring words - is as close to reliving it as I want to come.

By: dash_slot-

dash_slot- — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:03:00 -0800

Shown here - and ONLY here - for the first time online is the amazing video from the helmet camera of British skydiver Michael Holmes. It shows him plummeting 12,000ft to earth after both his parachutes failed, saying goodbye to the world... and hitting the ground with a sickening thud at 80mph. Michael's friend, who jumped from the same plane, also filmed the whole event. He found his pal bleeding and unconscious - but alive. Now watch the incredible footage... Er, linky no worky. Which bit is clickable? (Glad I saw this on the TV anyway) Which player are they using, I get nowt.

By: davejay

davejay — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:08:59 -0800

Yeah, no love for Firefox. Nevertheless, I have done my best to recreate the fall on my cubicle desk with a plummeting Reese's Peanut Butter Cup impacting a plastic fork. special appearance by stapler as the other skydiver

By: sperose

sperose — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:15:01 -0800

Video is fubar. Story is freaky as fuck.

By: fidgets

fidgets — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:15:34 -0800

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY PRESENTS THE MOST AMAZING VIDEO EVER SHOWN ON THE INTERNET Very impressive and frightening yes, but, ahem. Also, I'm glad that guy did not die.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:15:44 -0800

It looked like something came out, so it wasn't complete freefall. Lucky to be alive for sure, though. I was suprised he didn't seem to have any 'control'... He was just spinning like that. If he had landed in the water, would he be more likely to have died?

By: Mach5

Mach5 — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:19:37 -0800

Full Screen

By: infinitywaltz

infinitywaltz — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:23:03 -0800

Just watched the video. That's some freaky stuff, but weirdly, the fall itself is far less chilling than the aftermath, with the helmet-cam staring out through the brush he landed in, and the labored breathing. Also, I enjoyed the understatement of this exchange when his friend found him: Jonathan: You alright? Michael: No.

By: hal9k

hal9k — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:25:32 -0800

Look for the other guys' video starting halfway through. A couple of seconds at the beginning show his partner below just before impact. Wow. And he landed in a patch of wild thorny rose bushes. Which is probably what saved him. Happy Valentine's Day.

By: fidgets

fidgets — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:25:54 -0800

If he had landed in the water, would he be more likely to have died? In the article he said he tried to aim for the water but couldn't, which he realized was good because the impact probably would have knocked him out and he would have drowned. So, more likely to die.

By: quin

quin — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:28:36 -0800

Link doesn't work for me either, both Firefox and IE failed, but I blame that more on the craptastic-ness of my work laptop. I'll have to check it when I get home, even over-hyped as it is, it still sound terrifying. He was just spinning like that. If he had landed in the water, would he be more likely to have died? I think at those heights and speeds, it was just blind luck that he lived at all. Instincts suggest that a water landing would generally be better, but my understanding is that at a terminal velocity free-fall, hitting the water isn't much different from hitting concrete. So yeah. Maybe.

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:30:37 -0800

I'm 100% certain that if it had been me shooting that video, you wouldn't have heard the wind whistling, but a constant stream of bleeped expletives.

By: me & my monkey

me & my monkey — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:32:24 -0800

I was suprised he didn't seem to have any 'control'... He was just spinning like that. The main chute had come out, but didn't open properly - you could see him trying to reach the cords in the video, I think. So, no, he wouldn't have had any meaningful control at that point.

By: Pecinpah

Pecinpah — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:34:25 -0800

Metafilter: You alright? No.

By: docpops

docpops — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:35:25 -0800

Not to split hairs, but clearly the guy had some degree of drag from the non-functional chutes that contributed to slowing him enough that his odds of survival were greatly improved.

By: Brittanie

Brittanie — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:41:20 -0800

Doc, he states so in the interview — his freefall slowed from 120 mph to 80 mph due to the chutes. The interview really helps explain all the flailing he's doing in the video. By the way, I'm using Firefox and can see the video just fine.

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:48:15 -0800

I know it's off topic, but that youtube video of the best scenes from Wickerman is fucking amazing.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:54:05 -0800

This was on the NBC Nightly News last night. They interviewed the survivor. It's the last segment of their Web broadcast.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:56:32 -0800

This story brings to mind an old scouting song.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:56:51 -0800

Correct NBC Nightly News netcast link.

By: TheGoldenOne

TheGoldenOne — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:01:01 -0800

I, I don't understand. Was Wickerman a real movie with Cage doing all those things I saw? And the bees? For real?

By: hal9k

hal9k — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:11:17 -0800

Terrific stuff. Book him and schedule him after the Blue Angels. But no bleeding this time.

By: 31d1

31d1 — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:12:59 -0800

Reminds me of this horrible base jump gone wrong. (Yes the guy did survive, no I couldn't watch the whole thing).

By: staggernation

staggernation — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:15:03 -0800

fidgets: Best. Derail. Ever. Flagged. Favorited.

By: staggernation

staggernation — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:16:25 -0800

Just kidding, not actually flagged.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:29:36 -0800

ouch. Glad both men lived, the parachute guy and the base jumper.Miraculous actually. Probably lifelong repercussions.

By: Parannoyed

Parannoyed — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:34:20 -0800

I was wondering why he didn't completely lose his sh*t on the way down, but then I read that he's in the top 10 skydivers in the world, with over 7000 jumps under his belt.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:44:25 -0800

What has this to do with Princess Diana?

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:46:03 -0800

Video with commentary.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:46:52 -0800

BTW, there was a much better video that this on ebaumsworld. Some dickhead base jumping off a dam, his parachute got caught on a pipe or something and he hung in the air before slamming into the ground a breaking every bone in his body. Great footage, the bit at the end was like when Darth Vader gets melted by the lava WOAAAURGHAQWWWAAARGQWAH etc.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:47:25 -0800

By: ChrisR

ChrisR — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:57:21 -0800

For those who have not had the experience (of skydiving -- fortunately I've never had the experience of a total malfunction like that...) me & my monkey has it right; his main had deployed partially, and what his friend said in the second part is that part of the main assembly had hung up on his reserve bridle. This is, as the interview says, a one-in-much-more-than-a-million chance. Regarding presence of mind... Late this past summer, I went into a flat spin at around 8,000 feet and, coming out of it, dislocated my shoulder. I can attest to the fact that adrenaline has an amazing ability to sharpen your attention on the task at hand; I landed as safely as a one-armed man can. I can see Michael trying to resolve the malfunction in this video until nearly the end, despite the spinning that I know from recent experience can, itself, cause injury.

By: Manjusri

Manjusri — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:06:25 -0800

I treated my sister to a tandem jump for her birthday, and they had a similar partial deployment. The only one I've seen occur personally. Fortunately it cut away properly and the reserve chute worked fine. She was convinced I'd paid them to do it, and said that the second "jump" was far scarier, because she could feel the gravity acceleration in her gut, unlike the jump out of the already speeding plane.

By: noble_rot

noble_rot — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:22:28 -0800

A one-in-a-million chance over 10,000 trials is a one-in-a-hundred chance.

By: phaedon

phaedon — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:26:31 -0800

MetaFilter: *BOOM*! Nggguuuhh.....

By: cayla

cayla — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:37:05 -0800

For those having trouble getting the video to play (or even find it) with Firefox: if you use Adblock try whitelisting the page. That did it for me. The filter seems to think the video is an ad.

By: maryh

maryh — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:54:45 -0800

See, this is why I make tasty bread. Instead of skydiving. I hit the ground, it's because I tripped over the dog.

By: found missing

found missing — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:57:11 -0800

A one-in-a-million chance over 10,000 trials is a one-in-a-hundred chance. You're going to have to come with me, sir. I'm making a citizen's arrest for violation of the law of large numbers.

By: any major dude

any major dude — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:02:31 -0800

they really should install airbags on those things.

By: EarBucket

EarBucket — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:03:13 -0800

Oh my god, fidgets. That was the most wonderful thing ever, ever, ever. I literally have tears rolling down my cheeks.

By: maryh

maryh — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:15:08 -0800

KILLING ME WON"T BRING BACK YOUR GOD DAMNED HONEY!! I just thought it bore repeating. (thanks, fidgets!)

By: Mikey-San

Mikey-San — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:17:37 -0800

By: Cyrano

Cyrano — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:21:20 -0800

A million-in-one chance crops up 90 percent of the time.

By: tehloki

tehloki — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:25:04 -0800

It's strange to think of how much excitement and tragedy is associated with somebody deliberately doing something so fucking hideously dangerous.

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:52:10 -0800

One of the kids I used to counsel (for other reasons) decided to sky dive and got tangled in his main chute. Spun out of control, just barely managed to get untangled, and hit the ground harder than he would have but not as hard as this. Instructor caught the whole thing on video, which he proceeded to watch, over and over... Just want to point out to the poster that you don't say who the post-jump interview is with. As a result, I had to dig through the thread a bit to convince myself that this wasn't a snuff film (which put a bit of a grisly spin on the first few comments as well). Spoiler appreciated, in this case.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:38:41 -0800

dreamsign, if it were with anyone besides the man whose chute didn't work, do you think I would have italicized "post"?

By: jouke

jouke — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:07:27 -0800

In the netherlands recently a 37 yr old woman fell to her death because both parachutes failed completely. A 22 yr old woman fellow base jumper has been suspected by the police of sabotaging the parachutes. All for the attentions of a 3rd base jumper; a man.

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:32:20 -0800

dobbs -- good point. Between accessing Mefi through workfriendly, and working off of this ancient laptop, I'm used to all but ignoring formatting in this bleached out display. My bad.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 21:36:08 -0800

Amazing footage, thanks. Didn't expect the camera to still work after impact; that was definitely the most horrifying moment. Btw, the original 1973 Wicker Man really is an excellent horror film - well worth checking out. The story of its botched release and later development into a beloved classic is interesting, too. Don't let the Nicholas Cage version stop you from checking it out.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:00:05 -0800

You alright? "Nah, man, I'm pretty fuckin' far from OK." I'm very surprised he didn't barf all over New Zealand. Wow. If those are the best scenes from Wicker Man, I'm really glad I didn't see it.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:34:28 -0800

Members of the Bonus Day Club. Snow seems to be quite good to land on.

By: quin

quin — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:30:57 -0800

tehloki : It's strange to think of how much excitement and tragedy is associated with somebody deliberately doing something so fucking hideously dangerous. No argument, but then when you look at the whole of human achievements, couldn't you generally have said the same thing? Making a big fire Domesticate animals Moving something big with a wheel Engaging in a bronze era conflict Engaging in a iron era conflict Riding a horse Engaging in a medieval conflict Engaging in a Victorian conflict Engaging in a firearm conflict Riding a train Flying a plane Driving a car Watching TV (radiation) Using a microwave Using a cellphone Watching TV (brain rot) Using the Internet... The only difference is that as time has moved on; Our hideously dangerous exploits that we engage in have less to do with making our lives better and more to do with our needing additional stimulation. Which is kinda sad when you think about it. I mean, how much of a rush would it have been to drive a car when there were no real roads? Skydivers take risks, it was born out of necessity and it became a (probably) fun diversion. But how sad is it that we need to go that far to be entertained? Me? I like the 'domesticate animals' part. I have lots of those little hairy, scaly, and otherwise winged buggers. In fact, one is biting me even as I type this... ::Bad cat! Toes are not food!::

By: hypersloth

hypersloth — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:38:00 -0800

Skydiving is a dangerous sport that can be done safely. If riding in a plane is flying, then riding in a boat is swimming. If you want to experience the element, get out of the vehicle. There's no such thing as a perfectly good airplane, etc.. I'm glad he plans to continue jumping. Like he said, the odds of this happening are so slim, he figures he has the rest of his life for it never to happen again.

By: cenoxo

cenoxo — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:43 -0800

...saying goodbye to the world... I don't why you'd say goodbye, I'd say hello. That sudden introduction to terra firma is the problem. More amazing falls at the Free Fall Research Page. If, like Bugs Bunny^YT, you have enough presence of mind on the way down to apply the brakes, try to remember How to Survive a Long Fall.

By: bwg

bwg — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:24:21 -0800

... but my understanding is that at a terminal velocity free-fall, hitting the water isn't much different from hitting concrete. Water's resistance increases the harder you hit it. The bushes were a much better place to land. I'm glad he's not dead.

By: Mocata

Mocata — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 04:37:51 -0800

If someone had told me yesterday that I'd be less amazed by a real video of someone's parachute failing than by clips from the remake of The Wicker Man, I wouldn't have believed them. But I'd have been wrong.

By: atrazine

atrazine — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:14:04 -0800

A 22 yr old woman fellow base jumper has been suspected by the police of sabotaging the parachutes. All for the attentions of a 3rd base jumper; a man. But was she wearing a diaper?

By: micayetoca

micayetoca — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:15:35 -0800

he figures he has the rest of his life for it never to happen again. This is the kind of quote that would earn a special mention in famouslastwords.com

By: seanmpuckett

seanmpuckett — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:59:12 -0800

quin: the cat knows your toes are not food. he's bored and needs some additional stimulation.

By: agregoli

agregoli — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 06:54:27 -0800

I was wondering why he didn't completely lose his sh*t on the way down, but then I read that he's in the top 10 skydivers in the world, with over 7000 jumps under his belt. Only 7,000? When I went skydiving, my instructors both had 12,000 jumps on their records...

By: MapGuy

MapGuy — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 07:32:22 -0800

This is the difference between a golfer and a parachutist. Golfer: Whack! ..... Shit! Parachutist: Shit! .....Whack!

By: aliasless

aliasless — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 10:11:25 -0800

Metafilter: Not the bees! Not the bees! My eyes! My eyes!

By: tehloki

tehloki — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 12:13:00 -0800

yes, aliasless: we can all be thankful that he did not land in a giant pile of bees.

By: staggernation

staggernation — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:11:27 -0800

Wow, I just realized Neil LaBute directed that. I'm a fan of his... was a fan... I'm so confused and hurt...

By: vbfg

vbfg — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:49:01 -0800

I hope that if I have a near death experience like this my first post impact response would be to fart as good as he did.