Skyaking - the extreme sport of skydiving in a canoe

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a bloke jumping out of a plane at 13,000 feet in a kayak.


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Without a paddle: Thrill-seeker Miles Daisher freefalls in his kayak, which gives him extra stability in the air

Daredevil Miles Daisher looks a bizarre sight, ‘paddling’ across the sky in a kayak.
Skyaking – the thrill-seeker’s new twist on skydiving – involves jumping out of a plane, plummeting 4,000m (13,000 feet) and then making a smooth landing on water at 50mph.
Miles jumps in a short, wide kayak that gives extra stability in the air and freefalls at about 100mph, slower than the 120mph of a typical skydiver.
‘There are a lot of things that can go wrong in skyaking so you have to be prepared,’ he said.
Nerves of steel: Miles prepares to jump

‘I usually pull the chute quite high. With skydives, I will pull at 2,000 feet, whereas with skyaking I will pull at 5,000 feet – in case anything starts to go a little crazy.
‘That way, I have time to sort things out, get out of the boat and then pull the chute for the kayak.’
The 40-year-old, of Idaho, dreamt up skyaking while looking for ways to make his hobby even more extreme. And, as these pictures taken over
Florida show, the result is incredible and bizarre.
‘It took us almost a year before we could [take the first jump], as no one was really looking to throw a kayak out of an aeroplane,’ said Miles.
‘To begin with, we did it off a 600ft bridge and landed in Feather River, California.
Final approach: A smooth landing on water

‘A year later, I got permission to jump out of a plane and, since then, I have jumped out of four different aircraft, including a helicopter. I have been skyaking almost eight years now.’

The father-of-two’s antics are now to feature in a 3D film on skydiving, base jumping, wing-suit flying and, of course, skyaking. Miles has completed more base jumps – from buildings and cliffs – than anyone in the world, with 2,570. He has also done 3,000 skydives(from DS)