On March 4th, Brazilian kayaker Pedro Oliva set a world’s record by kayaking over an 127 foot waterfall on the Rio Sacre in the state of Mato Grosso. The waterfall, called Salto Belo, is as tall as a twelve story building, but Pedro not only survived–he came out unscathed. Pedro actually spent more time underwater than in the air: though the fall took three seconds, Pedro was under water for about twenty seconds before he surfaced. Pedro planned the drop with his partner Ben Stookesberry, after scouting the location and assessing the height and route of the jump.
After setting the record, Pedro and Ben appeared on the Today Show in New York. To watch the video from NBC, click here. Check out Pedro discussing the experience (in Portuguese) and the jump itself:
Records for the most body piercings: 5,920 in total. She also won the world record in 2000 when she only had 462 piercings, including 192 on her face alone. Elaine is a nurse, and does not drink or smoke. Surprisingly, she doesn’t set off metal detectors at airports unless she is wearing a watch.