An Australian national was left badly injured after jumping off a 42.5-meter (139 feet) cliff in the name of sport.
Vali Graham, 21, suffered a burst eardrum, fractured vertebrae, and other injuries after intentionally jumping off a waterfall cliff just outside of Sydney in June.
The incident is shining a light on Døds diving, also known as d**th diving, the extreme sport that was invented in Norway, but that has taken the world by storm.
Vali Graham of Australia suffered broken bones and more after jumping from a waterfall in Australia
Image credits: Vali Graham / Facebook
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In the video, we see Graham as he’s standing at the edge of a cliff at the top of Minnehaha Falls in the Blue Mountains, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Sydney’s central business district.
He’s there to perform dødsing, or Døds diving, an extreme sport that’s gained popularity amongst people from Gen Z and Alpha.
On this particular day, June 11th, 21-year-old Graham was ready to break the current jump record from the location.
Image credits: philosophyofsend / Instagram
With a few shouts of encouragement, the lithe young man with shoulder-length hair and purple trunks flung himself over the cliff and into the water.
He hit like a ton of bricks. And his body paid the price.
“I was walking 2 days after surgery,” Graham says he’s recovering from the jump
Image credits: lostmtns / philosophyofsend / Instagram
According to Australian media outlet News.com.au, Graham chose the 42.5-meter location in a bid to beat the current Døds diving world record, which was from a height of 41.7 meters.
After plummeting into the water, the media say Graham lost consciousness momentarily. But he quickly regained consciousness and was able to walk out of the water on his own.
Graham then walked for more than a kilometer to his friend’s car, which took him to the hospital.
Image credits: lostmtns / philosophyofsend / Instagram
“After regaining consciousness, I pulled myself out of the water and walked a steep 1.2km out to our car, where my friends took me to the hospital,” he told News.com.au.
At the hospital, he was treated for a burst eardrum, fractured vertebrae, sternum, and skull.
According to Graham’s Instagram page, he was back on his feet in no time.
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“The support was amazing, I’ve had surgery on my back and sternum and was walking 2 days after surgery,” he said.
“Back at home now, on my feet and grateful for life, good friends, family, and God.
A sanctioned Døds diving competition has been taking place every year since 2008
Image credits: khedoori / philosophyofsend / Instagram
Døds diving, or dødsing, means ‘d**th diving’ and originated in Norway in the 1970s.
According to some renditions, the sport was popularized by the guitarist of a 1970s Norwegian rock band who started jumping from a 10-meter platform at a public pool in Oslo.
Image credits: khedoori / philosophyofsend / Instagram
In 2008, the first sanctioned event, the Døds Diving World Championship, took place in Oslo. Today “the event has grown into a global spectacle, drawing thousands of fans and reaching over 200 million households via FOX Sports, DAZN, Extreme, and MBC,” the Døds website says.
The official Døds body explains that “Døds diving involves leaping from significant heights into the water in the most dramatic and visually striking way possible.”
Image credits: lostmtns / philosophyofsend / Instagram
Typically, the participant quickly curls into a ball the moment before hitting the water.
There is an annual competition in a controlled environment, usually at a pool in Oslo. But this year the world competition will be held in the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago on the island of Tobago on August 9th.
“A perfect jump to end my send season”: The current Døds diving record holder is taking a break
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The sport has gained popularity in recent years as members of Generation Z and Gen Alpha have started showing interest in the sport.
In most cases, participants choose their own locations, looking for things like a clear jump path, and deep enough water.
Image credits: philosophyofsend / Instagram
The current record holder is a Swiss national who jumped from a viaduct last year.
According to the media, Lucien Charlon set the world record for the highest Døds dive at 41.7 meters, or 137 feet, from the Le Day Viaduct in western Switzerland.
After his record-breaking jump, Charlon posted to his IG page: “What a perfect jump to end my send season. Thanks to all the people who have supported me and made it possible to reach this goal.”
Døds divers often refer to their moves as “sends”, as in “that was a great send”, which means they executed a particularly impressive jump with a strong landing.
Experts say despite daredevil tragedies, people will still keep performing them
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So-called daredevil stunts beyond Døds diving seem to be gaining popularity lately, with some ending in tragedy.
Last year, an English influencer experienced a fatal fall while trying to climb the tallest bridge in Spain without safety gear.
The family of 26-year-old Lewis Stevenson said they warned him not to attempt the stunt. Sadly, Stevenson’s life was taken after falling from the 192-meter, 630-feet-tall Castilla La Mancha bridge in Talavera de la Reina.
Image credits: philosophyofsend / Instagram
Experts predict that even more daredevil stunts will be attempted.
A few years ago, on the BBC’s stunt program Top Gear, presenter Richard Hammond, who has suffered many hospitalizations for stunt accidents, said that when stunts fail, it’s not a deterrent for others.
Image credits: Lewis Stevenson / Facebook
“I think in all television programs, if you’re taking risks you have to mitigate everywhere against those risks,” he said.
He continued with an insightful if obvious comment: “We’ve all got to remember, and occasionally I’m reminded, just because we’re on TV doesn’t mean we’re in some sort of magic protected bubble. Real-world things still apply.”
Netizens’ opinions on extreme sports vary
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