Friday, June 29, 2012

Kite Surfer Jumps Pier During Tropical Storm Debby (VIDEO)

As Tropical Storm Debby threatened Florida's Gulf coast over the weekend, one adventurous kite surfer took to the sea to take advantage of the rad winds and waves.

A video that was featured on Reddit's front page shows the daredevil surfing the waves near the shoreline just before jumping over a pier.

Those filming the action gasp in anticipation as the kite surfer comes around (0:44) and takes "flight" over the pier at Redington Beach before landing safely on the other side, WTVR reports.

"He's obviously a professional," one man exclaims.

According to the video's uploader, Jay Gartner, the athlete had already performed the stunt once before.

Professional or not, surfers and swimmers are usually discouraged from heading into the ocean as storms approach.

Hurricanes and tropical storms often bring strong waves that can create hazardous rip currents, according to National Geographic. Although surfers are usually able to ride the currents on their boards, the formations pose danger to swimmers, who may become exhausted fighting the strong current and put themselves at risk of drowning.

According to a National Weather Service advisory, Debby has weakened into a tropical depression and isn't expected to strengthen much within the next 48 hours. As of 11 a.m. EDT on June 27, the storm was moving away from Florida with maximum sustained winds of about 35 mph.

The storm brought more than two feet of rain to parts of Florida and caused flooding and power outages across the state, the Associated Press reports. At least three deaths have been blamed on the storm, according to CNN.

Also on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

extremely loud and incredibly close south carolina primary squirrel appreciation day billy beane kathy griffin road conditions newt gingrich wives

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.