They must be absolutely mad

[pnodrog]

Okere Falls Rotorua district NZ. It is a popular rafting spot and it is an easy pretty walk through bush to a viewing point.
(1/500th f7.1 ISO800 28-300mm at 62mm but all cropped)

THEY

MUST BE

ABSOLUTELY

MAD

[AB26]

No, I think they are just not as old as us.

[pnodrog]

They still look happy a few minutes latter. The main reason I added this photograph is that the previous ones look a bit soft and I think it is due to tinypic so I sharpened this one aggressively to see how it looks. - It is definitely softer than the source file for the upload which looked over sharpened but it now looks OK here.

[pnodrog]

No, I think they are just not as old as us.

Sadly Andre I must reluctantly agree.

P.S. Congratulations on your grandchild from another granddad.

[SteveF]

I'd love to try that with a GoPro headcam on!

[chauncey]

No, I think they are just not as old as us.

Andre, even when I was young, I wouldn't have done that. They are crazy....

[RustBeltRaw]

No, I think they are just not as old as us.

All I can say is; get me my 60D, an Ikelite housing and a 20mm f2.8, and let me sit on the stern.

[Brownbear]

Looks like a fun time to be enjoyed by all ages.

I like all the images that included the forest and water, a lot. Beautifully exposed. Thank you for sharing your camera settings...Waterfalls in forest settings are on my "to try" list.

[Manfred M]

Absolutely mad. no. Totally wet, yes.

[Karm Redland]

Nice sequence of shots.

karm

[John 2]

Nice series. It's all relative. Given the choice between this and bungee jumping........

[pnodrog]

I'd love to try that with a GoPro headcam on!

Steve wait until our summer the water will be at least 5degC warmer.

Andre, even when I was young, I wouldn't have done that. They are crazy....

Chauncey I suppose when you were young you never did anything crazy... Unfortunately in spite of my elderly cowardice I sometimes still do - usually by mistake.

Looks like a fun time to be enjoyed by all ages.

I like all the images that included the forest and water, a lot. Beautifully exposed. Thank you for sharing your camera settings...Waterfalls in forest settings are on my "to try" list.

Christina thank you for your comments. For most waterfall shots I use a much longer exposure and lower ISO but I wanted to catch the action.

Absolutely mad. no. Totally wet, yes.

Manfred they are all wearing a sort of wet suit and they certainly got them wet.

Nice sequence of shots.

karm

Thanks Karm

Nice series. It's all relative. Given the choice between this and bungee jumping........

John you are absolutely right, compared to some of the other adventure tourism options this would definitely be my preferred choice.

[Loose Canon]

They don't look mad to me!

In fact they look pretty happy! Like they are having the time of their lives!

(I am a Class V whitewater kayaker/instructor!)

[pnodrog]

They don't look mad to me!

In fact they look pretty happy! Like they are having the time of their lives!

(I am a Class V whitewater kayaker/instructor!)

Terry you are right they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I think you would have a great time paddling in some of our whitewater rivers.

I know of about 6 kayakers tackling the Huka Falls at Taupo and they are mad. There have been several fatalities and it is prohibited but some still try. It is bigger than it looks and the volume of water is tremendous(220,000 L/sec) and can trap them under for a long time.

[Loose Canon]

I know I would love it over there L.Paul! I have had contact with a few boaters living there. That water is absolutely gorgeous!

However, the features look pretty gnarly! Pretty nasty hydraulic at the bottom of that drop. You better have your line right because it doesn’t look like much room for error and you get a nasty drubbing for your mistake!

I guess there is a fine line between stark raving mad and a successful run. The trick is knowing when to cross that line!

[Brownbear]

Paul, I adore that last photo

Sounds like a fun job Terry. I've enjoyed a few white water rafting trips, a couple with class 4-5 rapids, all great fun and I always felt safe because of the expertise of the instructors and safety guidelines followed by the rafting companies.

I've taken my Mom on a trip with Class 3 rapids, and she loved it... It's fun!

[pnodrog]

All I can say is; get me my 60D, an Ikelite housing and a 20mm f2.8, and let me sit on the stern.

Lex I missed replying to you earlier. The person on the stern is responsible for the piloting of the "craft" and you would need to multi task like mad (I must like the word) in order to both take photographs and ensure everyone's survival. There is a group out there that I can never understand that would claim only a woman could do it.

[AB26]

P.S. Congratulations on your grandchild from another granddad.

Thanks.

I have also noticed dramatic IQ reduction when using TinyPic to upload. When looking at images on this forum I keep it in mind.

[AB26]

Nice series. It's all relative. Given the choice between this and bungee jumping........

Agreed with the first sentence. A very nice series.

As for bungee jumping.......... NO WAY! You should try the Bloukrans Bungee - the highest commercial bungee in the world, you thing I will jump from that bridge tied to a rubber band? CRAZY!!!

[Loose Canon]

Every fall I try to get out to the Gauley River for the fall drawdown. Right next door is the New River. The New is the third oldest river in the world.

Spanning the New River Gorge is the third longest arch bridge and twelfth highest vehicular bridge in the world.

Every year they close this bridge for “Bridge Day” when they allow BASE jumpers to launch off the bridge (bungee jumping has been banned during Bridge Day).

So I was out there one year during Bridge Day boating the Gauley and the New. On Bridge Day I paddled the New. After a fun day of boating I took out and went up to check out the BASE jumpers.

One of the jumpers had seen the kayaks on top of my truck and asked me if I had just paddled the New. I told him I had…

He looked me in the eye and said: “Man, you must be crazy! You could die doing that”.

And without another word jumped off that bridge!