Falling 55m

[Hyperion]

Hey, so my friend claims that he jumped from a 55m cliff into water and sustained no injuries.
Is there anyone that can help me prove him a liar?

[Impressive]

When I was in Spain I did cliff jumping. I don't think the one I jumped from was 55m tall but I landed in a 10m deep pool of water with no injuries.

If I had to guess I'd say it was about 30-35m tall (the cliff I jumped off)

[Seshan]

It's possible, The golden Gate bridge is 67M, and the odd person that jumps from it survives.

[rzapata]

Hmmm, the highest I've jumped is 50ft from a cliff down to a river. When I entered the water I drank a bit and some entered my ear. I would think that 55m would be about twice the effect.

[Thrizzl3]

180ft...i won't dare to jump that..i can't swim.

[Reymando]

Well I cliff jump at Minnesota Taylor falls feet first which was 100 feet drop and hit the bottom, lets just say I had a sprain my right ankle. 180ft is pretty high and you will get small damage somewhere at least. Also that would be my last jump into a lake, rather jump off sky diving:headbang

[terapr0]

it's not outright impossible, but I'd think surviving a ~180 fall into water is the exception, not the rule. There are professionals who could do it all day, but for an average Joe thats super risky.

Theres a 60ft cliff at my cottage that a few friends have jumped off...one of them cut his lip open nicely just from the force of the water

http://www.tohellandback.net/junk/cliff.jpg

http://www.tohellandback.net/junk/lip.jpg

http://www.tohellandback.net/junk/gibralter.jpg

[greyseason]

ouch

[XTOTHEL]

The Niagara Falls is 51m tall. Ask him where he found such tall cliff or ask him if it was like the Niagara Falls height.

[SonicBoy]

Rick's café in Jamaica is 35 feet or 10 Meters, I'm going to say that 55 Meters or 181 feet without injuries is a bit of a tale.http://citymitten.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/ricks-cafe-jamaica1.jpg?w=500&h=333

[S.F.W.]

He is probably confusing feet and meters. 55 Ft. sure thing, 55 M no chance.

[Jackal]

Where did he do this? Yeah I think he got metres and feet mixed up or just big into hyperbole.

[taz4432]

You can survive a 55m jump into water without significant injuries IF you know proper cliff-jumping technique and/or are damn lucky. That beng said, I call bullshit on your friend. More than likely he meant 55ft.

From Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_platform

"For cliff jumping, there are several techniques that can be utilized. The main technique involves landing in a pencil shape typically with hands at the sides or above the head. Keeping limbs in results in a freer and more painless entry. Pointed toes and closed mouth also assist in a smooth jump. Some prefer to jump with shoes or sandals, while others jump merely barefoot or naked.

For larger jumps (12 m/40 ft +), the angle of entry is critical. To ensure that you always enter the water vertically, it is proper to jump leaning slightly forward, keeping your point of entry in view. Extend your arms for balance. As you fall, gradually tuck in your arms, and bring together your legs. A gradual backward rotation throughout the jump will bring you from your initial forward position to complete a vertical entry. Common errors include backward over rotation and not tucking in arms or legs. Generally, the highest jump that should be attempted is 30 m (100 ft). The world record dive stands at 90 m (300 ft) set by an English Springer Spaniel.[1]

Keep legs staight with a slight bend at the knees. Locking your legs when taking the pencil shape will cause impact on the knees"

[Lockdown]

That's a huge fall. In no way is it impossible but I can't think of anywhere that there is a drop that huge into water that would be deep enough to not sustain serious injuries. Possible out of a chopper maybe or perhaps at some vacation spot that no one will be able to verify

[MattL]

I go cliff jumping every summer just outside of Minden, Ontario. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that cliff is about 25-30 ft. You get some good force going and hit the water pretty hard. At just under 10m, that's pretty freaky, and you get about 2-3 seconds of hang time. To multiply that by 5? Your friend is either insane and lucky to be alive, he is lying through his teeth, or he has his units wrong.

[Pacman]

Hey, so my friend claims that he jumped from a 55m cliff into water and sustained no injuries.
Is there anyone that can help me prove him a liar?

Tell him to show you the cliff that he jumped from. As he is looking down, push him. Analyze for potential injury. Question answered!

[Sivart444]

Just like everyone else said... 55 ft, that's a damn high, impressive, and realistic jump for an average person. 55M, you better know damn well what your doing, that's some serious hang-time, and a long time under water trying to get back to the surface

[XTOTHEL]

Dude, someone this weekend fell from 128,000 ft and didn't get injured. I think your friend is telling the truth.

[Sivart444]

LOL

touché

[The Wolf]

Just like everyone else said... 55 ft, that's a damn high, impressive, and realistic jump for an average person. 55M, you better know damn well what your doing, that's some serious hang-time, and a long time under water trying to get back to the surface

+1. At 55m, you get into having to think about controlling your body during the fall so you enter the water properly.