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Brave/stupid kitesurfer risks life to catch big air from Hurricane Matthew

It's a bird! It's a plane!

 

Austin Powell

Internet Culture

Posted on Oct 7, 2016   Updated on May 25, 2021, 8:32 pm CDT

Hurricane Matthew hit South Florida with 40 to 50 mph gusts of wind. For most, that’s reason to evacuate. But for extreme kitesurfers, it’s a calling. 

That contrast is on full display in this video, where a kitesurfer catches big air while a newscaster discusses the harsh weather the area is bracing for. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tzRhf6rZSM

This is a more appropriate reaction: 

https://twitter.com/2ManySoles/status/784110132372180992

It’s worth noting that kitesurfing in extreme conditions can be an incredibly selfish act—one that would put others in danger if something went wrong and the surfer needed to be rescued—to say nothing of the potentially shallow waters he could land in. But thankfully, in this case at least, he sticks the landing. 

As the newscaster warns time and again: Don’t try this at home. 

H/T Jalopnik 

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*First Published: Oct 7, 2016, 1:05 pm CDT