A wingsuit BASE-jumping video shared by Table Mountain Experience has caught the attention of social media users, with viewers divided between admiration for the aerial manoeuvre and concern about the risks involved.
The footage shows a person launching from a mountain and gliding through the air in a wingsuit, prompting a series of reactions from people watching the clip.
While some marvelled at the flight, others questioned the decision to undertake such a high-risk activity in the Cape Town mountains.
The post was captioned: ‘Would you!!!??? Watching these people #wingsuit from the mountain never gets old! So epic and so terrifying’.
The discussion comes amid renewed attention on BASE jumping in Table Mountain National Park, where the activity is prohibited.
Reactions beneath the video ranged from playful observations to more serious concerns about the consequences of a failed jump.
One viewer compared the experience to the feeling of finishing the working week, commenting: ‘That’s me on a Friday after work going into the weekend’.
Another appeared to reflect on the skill involved in wingsuit flying, writing: ‘Crazy crazy i think former worlds best his flight was super amazing and then correct me if i am wrong, had one mistake, all over so sorry he was realy a true superman with that tipe of flights’.
However, not everyone watching was impressed by the prospect of taking part.
‘Not a chance in hell even if offered a million to do,’ one person wrote.
Another raised concerns about the potential consequences for emergency responders and rescue teams, commenting: ‘So unfair to the people who have to recover what’s left when it all goes wrong.’
Others described the footage as extreme, with one viewer writing: ‘That is hectic. Damn … he is mad’.
One commenter also referred to a previous fatal incident, saying: ‘Someone already died from base diving here… this aint mountains for that…. i rather downhill the entire mountain thats more hype not safe though but addictive’.
The video also brings attention back to the rules governing extreme aerial activities within Table Mountain National Park.
In September, SANParks warned against BASE jumping and wingsuit activities in the protected area after several videos showing people jumping from the mountain circulated on social media.
The warning was issued following a fatal incident at Platteklip Gorge earlier in the year, as SANParks confirmed that the individual was found deceased after a rescue operation and reiterated that the activity was prohibited in the national park..
A BASE jump involves leaping from a fixed structure or natural feature, such as a cliff, before deploying a parachute. Wingsuit BASE jumping adds a specialised suit that allows participants to glide through the air before opening their parachutes.
SANParks maintains that BASE jumping is illegal, unregulated and strictly prohibited within Table Mountain National Park. The park is protected under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act and forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The organisation has urged visitors not to take part in the activity or similar pursuits within the park, and has asked members of the public to report suspected illegal activity.
Its emergency number for Table Mountain National Park is 086 110 6417.
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Picture: Screenshot via video
