Dam staff ‘absolutely alarmed’ by Døds Diving record leap
Sunday, 9 March 2025
Mercury staff working at the Karapiro dam when a new Oceania record in Døds Diving was set were left “absolutely alarmed” by the 35m leap.
Taking a few deep breaths before the plunge, hitting the water with a staple, the jump was the last moment of a “whole year of conditioning” for Flynn Chisholm.
The jump brought a wave of concerned comments online saying he was risking his life for the sake of ‘views’, after posting footage to Instagram.
“I’ve done a whole year of conditioning just for that jump. They just think I jumped it, and I was reckless,” the Tauranga 20-year-old said.
“What I want to take out of the sport is the recklessness.”
But dam operator Mercury said the leap was a breach of Waikato Regional Council’s Hydro Dam Safety Zone, which is a 200m area above and below dams where water sports are not allowed, acting general manager of generation, Tomas Toomata, said.
“We do not object to people trying extreme sports, but it’s crucial for people to understand that a working hydro dam can be a dangerous environment, posing significant and often unpredictable risks to safety. It is not a place for recreation,” Toomata said.
“The metal casing the person stood on to take the jump contains 11,000-volt electrical cables, this is clearly marked by warning signs.”
The dive would have required him to climb safety fences and disregard warning signs about not entering the dam crest, Toomata, said, noting it was closed for a hydro station upgrade.
“We are worried there is potentially a high risk of someone critically, if not fatally, injuring themselves. And it would be our staff and the local community acting as first responders.”
Mercury “immediately reported to police”, and subsequently served a trespass notice.
What is Døds Diving?
Originating in Norway, Døds Diving translates to ‘death diving’. It typically involves leaping from a height of 10-15m with a stretched body, belly first, before making yourself into a ball just before hitting the water.
Jumps, such as this one, can easily go wrong and Diving New Zealand spokesperson, Simon Latimer, said there were guidelines to reduce that risk.
“We would not have athletes going into anything that's not 5m deep at least,” he said.
Latimer emphasised the importance of checking the surroundings and to have a water safety team available.
“I've seen several occasions when athletes hit the water, even just 35 degrees off vertical, and been fully knocked out,” Latimer said.
Chisholm has his own team supporting him, in and out of the water, with safety and comfort playing a deciding factor in a jump, he said.
Often dealing with negative comments when out and about, he puts it down to not knowing the process.
“I explain what I do, and then I change their mind quite quickly,” Chisholm said.
Karapiro jump ‘so much higher than I wanted it to be’
Chisholm took his first ‘døds’ leap when he was 18-years-old, and has now completed extreme dives around the globe.
Chisholm will compete in World Cups for speed climbing, before heading to Europe in June for the Døds Diving World Circuit.
On the circuit he will be competing in a professional competition, alongside the best in the world in the discipline.
He has the Gainer Tour on his radar as well, which features the top cliff diving athletes travelling around France and Spain.
Determined to push the sport in Aotearoa, Chisholm has hopes of running a ‘døds diving’ competition in New Zealand at the end of this year.
CLARIFICATION: This article has been updated with comment from hydro power station and dam operator Mercury.