Post date: Mar 20, 2014 5:39:12 PM
Man takes daring 38-metre (125 foot) dive from the treetops of the Amazon Jungle into the depths of the Amazon River.
RIO AMAZONAS, PERU (RED BULL) - Veteran world champion high diver Orlando Duque dove more than 38 metres (125 feet) from the treetops of the Amazon jungle into the waters of the Amazon River inPeru.
The Colombian dive champ set out in a boat on the Amazon River near the border between Peru, Colombia and Brazil to find a 35 metre (115 metre) tree with the perfect diving conditions to make the daring leap.With the help of members from the local Palmari tribe, he found a 38 metre rubber tree said to be about 100-years-old.
Once selected the team created a platform for Duque to use to make the incredible plunge from the canopy of the largest rainforest in the world into the world's largest river by waterflow.
Duque said the conditions for the death-defying dive were just right.
"The depth and everything is perfect. Doing a jump that I normally wouldn't do because you need it to be pretty deep. The only thing that was a little difficult was getting up there, but it was all spectacular. The view from up there is truly beautiful. You can see both sides by walking behind the tree. Just spectacular. I don't think you can imagine it," Duque said.
Duque described the astounding dive in the thick of the jungle as an incredibly unique experience.
"You know in the Amazon I think I leave a little bit of my essence you know diving from this tree. Probably nobody has ever jumped from there, you know that's probably never even been done so you know it is amazing being able to do that," Duque added.
Duque is currently ranked 3rd in the red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
He won the Red Bull series in 2009 and also took the first-ever FINA High Diving World Championship in Barcelona in 2013.