Kiteboarders are known for some cartoonish aerial antics. More than any other board sport, the high-flying hellmen soar to unfeasible heights by utilizing strong winds and waves as ramps. Back in 2016, the world’s best kiteboarders descended upon Cape Town, South Africa for the Red Bull King of the Air 2016, an event that proved to push the sport to (quite literal) new heights.
But with big air comes big falls.
In the semifinals, British-born Lewis Crathern took a massive spill when his kite stalled, sending him careening towards the water. The footage above shows the harrowing incident and the fall from nearly 60 feet, which ultimately sent him to the hospital in a coma. The Worthing Herald reports that Lewis’ mother, Sandra, took to Facebook with this message: “He has no internal injuries, brain damage or broken bones as far as they can see but having problems breathing due to the water inhalation.”
Lewis is perhaps most widely known for jumping the UK’s Brighton Pier. Here’s to a speedy recovery for Lewis and seeing him do more of this:
