What is the best method for jumping into a body of water from a considerable height?

[Narmer]

For example, from a bridge or a steep hill, for a regular person escaping danger.

1.) Go all pro and dive head first?

2.) Ass first? Will that split your ass apart?

3.) Legs first? But what will become of your balls if your legs buckle under the pressure and aplit?

4.) I know back and stomach is like slamming into concrete so not good.

 

[DesiPower]

3 for me

!Poll = thread fail

 

[MotF Bane]

Do a full split and plunge balls first.

 

[Narmer]

3 for me

!Poll = thread fail

OK. I added poll.

 

[PingSpike]

Hedge your bets by doing a backflip.

 

[theflyingpig]

You want to point your toes or fingers straight at the water. This will break the surface tension, allowing the rest of your body to slip through the water like a torpedo. Everyone knows this.

 

[DesiPower]

Do a full split and plunge balls first.

rofl

 

[spidey07]

Dive or feet first. You'd want to slice through the water as best you can to minimize injury.

 

[h8red]

feet first and clinch your butt cheeks together, otherwise you'll get a water enema

 

[joesmoke]

feet first, with an old pair of sneakers on

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Feet first if you don't know the depth of the water; otherwise head-first.

If you dive head-first into a body of water from a great height, it needs to be pretty deep. Otherwise you risk smacking your head on the bottom, causing paralysis and possibly drowning.

If you go feet-first into water that is too shallow, I suppose you would break your legs, but at least you could still use your arms to surface and swim to safety.

 

[Narmer]

Can you guys tell me why it's legs first? I've seen people hold their legs together, while others just put them as close together as possible. For anyone who has done this, do the legs come easily apart?

 

[gimmewhitecastles]

I say legs first.

Like the olympic divers you want to go in with minimal splash. That way you enter the water with the least resistance (and least pain). So either head or legs first should work. But for the average joe, going head first might cause a panic attack which might lead to a whole lot of flailing.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Can you guys tell me why it's legs first? I've seen people hold their legs together, while others just put them as close together as possible. For anyone who has done this, do the legs come easily apart?

If you buy them dinner and a few drinks first.

 

[Ken g6]

This sounds like a job for...

If it's really high, even throwing a hammer in front of you won't help. ^_^

 

[Narmer]

Feet first if you don't know the depth of the water; otherwise head-first.

If you dive head-first into a body of water from a great height, it needs to be pretty deep. Otherwise you risk smacking your head on the bottom, causing paralysis and possibly drowning.

If you go feet-first into water that is too shallow, I suppose you would break your legs, but at least you could still use your arms to surface and swim to safety.

So wouldn't it be the opposite?

 

[Zedtom]

I had a good friend jump feet first off of a overhang into a lake. He was about forty feet above the water and we were standing next to him. He flailed his arms going down instead of remaining rigid and entered the water at a angle doing a back flop. It knocked the air out of him and when he surfaced he looked unconscious.

We were afraid to jump in to help him so we backtracked down the trail. There were some people down in the water that quickly swam over to him and pulled him to shore. He wasn't injured but needed a few minutes to get his lungs working properly. He would have died if he did that late at night by himself.

 

[somethingsketchy]

I'm thinking feet first...lest you end up like this guy...

http://www.spike.com/video/water-logged/3139969

 

[IceBergSLiM]

http://www.freemyspacegraphics.com/Graphics/Funny_Animations/images/Toilet_Dive.gif

 

[zinfamous]

Feet first if you don't know the depth of the water; otherwise head-first.

If you dive head-first into a body of water from a great height, it needs to be pretty deep. Otherwise you risk smacking your head on the bottom, causing paralysis and possibly drowning.

If you go feet-first into water that is too shallow, I suppose you would break your legs, but at least you could still use your arms to surface and swim to safety.

I would think that breaking your neck on the surface is just as great a risk.

The Golden Gate bridge is the number 2 suicide destination in the world. The rate, iirc, is 1/week? Occasionally, some survive the impact, and very rarely, some survive the entire attempt.

One sad bastard survived impact and hypothermia/shock, swam to the shore with broken legs, crawled to his car, and drove himself to the emergency room. ....lolfail?

 

[Key West]

Let's say the helicopter drops you off into the pacific ocean at a high altitude. You'd want to:

1. Enter into water feet first for the reason above.
2. Immediately spread all limbs as soon as you're submerged to brake the dive, minimizing the depth fallen thus you can swim back safely without running out air.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I'm thinking feet first...lest you end up like this guy...

http://www.spike.com/video/water-logged/3139969

yikes

 

[joesmoke]

who could dive from higher, a UFC fighter or a Navy Seal?

 

[InflatableBuddha]

One sad bastard survived impact and hypothermia/shock, swam to the shore with broken legs, crawled to his car, and drove himself to the emergency room. ....lolfail?

That's incredible. Poor guy.

OP didn't specify how high is a "considerable height", but I assumed it wouldn't be as high as the Golden Gate bridge, since you're right - the impact is fatal much of the time, no matter how you enter the water.

 

[Blackjack200]

If you buy them dinner and a few drinks first.

lol.

My brother did SERE training and they were told that if they parachuted over water they should never release from the chute until their toes break the surface. The reason is that we're really bad at judging our hight above water, so sometime people would release from the parachute thinking they were about to splash (and not wanting to get tangles with the parachute), and then proceed to fall thousands of feet to their death.

At that kind of height, it's basically instant death, it's like hitting concrete.