National Kayaking Champion Dane Jackson Survives 134-Foot Waterfall Plunge

National Kayaking champion Dane Jackson had earlier this month risked his life to kayak and plunge from a 134-foot waterfall. He survived the plunge and conquered the second highest waterfall descent in history.

The waterfall, Salto del Maule, was located in Valle de Los Condores, Chile.

Jackson, 26, said he always dreamt of achieving the feat regardless of being deaf from birth. “That was a waterfall I actually wanted to do for a couple years now. I would come across photos and I was like, ‘Man, I gotta go see this in person,'” he told CNN.

After translating his dream into reality on Feb. 5, Jackson said he was certain he would survive. “I felt really confident with the drop. Luckily, over the years I’ve run enough waterfalls — I have enough trust and faith in my skills,” he said.

There were about 4-5 people present beneath the waterfall, ready with their gears to deal with any unpleasant situation. “If I got knocked out — they’d be able to help me,” he said.

“As soon as I hit the skirt, that came off and my boat filled up with water and I had to come out of my kayak, but as soon as I hit, I was like, ‘Well this went awesome,'” he added.

Describing the experience as “pretty wild,” he said he felt like “falling off the face of the earth.”

At least five years of planning went into the kayaking endeavor. Jackson said he turned his physical weakness into his greatest strength and became good at sports.

“I’m about 70 percent deaf, and I’ve been deaf my whole life and I was born premature,” he said.