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