Summer Survival Week: How to Survive a Trip Over a Waterfall

Posted by David Borgenicht

No one plans for a trip over a waterfall—or at least, no one sane does. But here’s how to survive one—first step: don’t worry about losing your hat.

 

HOW TO SURVIVE A TRIP OVER A WATERFALL

  1. Stay upright:
    Always go feet first—squeeze your feet together and stay vertical.
     
  2. Time it:
    At the last second, before going over the edge, jump out and away from the waterfall. And take a deep breath.
     
  3. Cover your head:
    You're out there, you're falling, now cover that noggin of yours with your arms.
     
  4. Swim for it:
    Start swimming the second you hit the water, even before you're totally under. Once you're up, swim strongly downstream. You don't want to get trapped behind the waterfall or on the rocks under it.

 

via GIPHY

BE AWARE

  • If you capsize or get ejected from your watercraft, the safest thing to do is to swim to your friend Eddy. An eddy is a calm spot in the water that is immediately behind a boulder—the current breaks up around the rock. Hang on to the boulder, so you don't get swept downstream.

 

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(Excerpt from The Worst-Case Scenario Survive-O-Pedia: Junior Edition.)