without a parachute

[Matt. K]

These strapping lads entertained the crowd by jumping into the Kiama blow-hole...about a 4 story drop.Is this dangerous?..Nah! That's how we breed em in Australia!


All together now boys!


And I guess these are my last for 2008

[Kreapen]

These guys are idiots. People have already died jumping into the blow hole....

Maybe one day these kids will learn

[surenj]

Holy Carp! Is that illegal? Would it be considered base jumping? Nice captures Matt... Imagine if you had to give these as evidence

[Geoff]

Great photos Matt, but this sheer stupidity on the kids behalf...

[biggerry]

jumping into the blow hole....

well technically this is entrance, not the actual blow hole whilst I don't disgree that doing this is nuts, i have got to say, who has not done this kind of thing (or similiar) when you were young and stupid?

We did the same thing in the country at a local swimming hole, 1/2 hour walk through the bush to a remote spot and spent the afteroon jumping off and swimming...in hindsight a little dangerous but if you were careful nothing went wrong. This was also a location where someone died in the past.

Looking at the kiama pictures, you cant really see the sea conditions, but if it was really calm and a known depth...hey I might give it a go if I was 10 years younger

Of the people who have died there I would be interested to know how many from jumping in? a quick search reveals people falling in and the unfortunate case of the Afghan family....

These guys are idiots.

so are people who jump out of planes with funny white sheets attached to them, imho

but hey, back to the pictures, good captures
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*steps back*

[ozimax]

Great photos Matt. I have just returned from a quick dip at the Coffs jetty. Yep, there were dozens of kids/teens down there, all jumping off the (large) jetty into fairly shallow water. At least one has died doing this in past years (1970s), but would I have done it when I was a kid? Sure thing. Like motorcycling, rockclimbing, driving through south Chicago at night et al.

[foonji]

Good on em... to be fearless!

I jumped off a perfectly good big ship and went for a swim 200 nm off the aussie coast

Just gotta have fun!

[Ant]

Hmmm, I have bungie jumped, parachuted, done a giant stride off Tathra wharf in full scuba gear so probably not really in a position to comment, but man that looks like fun!

My ex-wife cracked a vertebrae doing a similar thing into Little Blue in Gambier so I do know how dangerous this stuff can be, but every thing comes down to a calculated risk... and your knowledge of the risks.

Ant.

[Kreapen]

I Actually brought this up for discussion during dinner with my in laws as they live in Kiama for a number of years.

Where they are jumping whilst still dangerous is relatively safe..

She went on to tell me how her sons (My brother in laws) use to jump directly into the blow hole and wait for the water to surge back up to climb out..

Ohhh and yes you can be fined.. i think their is actually a sign saying so on the fence.