Welcome to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, the favored vacation destination of tourists, honeymooners, and daredevils everywhere! Niagara Falls is actually 3 separate waterfalls - American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls. 150,000 gallons of water pass over American and Bridal Veils Falls every SECOND, while an impressive 600,000 gallons pour down Horseshoe Falls. So where does all that H20 end up? Lake Ontario, of course!

Among the 12 million annual tourists to Niagara Falls, there are 50,000 honeymooning couples. Maybe the sound of rushing water sets the right ambiance, I don't know... Anyway, there are also a handful of other visitors -they call themselves "daredevils", but I call them "nuts." So to celebrate the sheer lunacy of riding over Niagara Falls in a barrel, BATW proudly present the tales of two people who fought the water...and lost.

On October 1, 1995, Robert Overacker, a 39 year old man from Camarillo, CA, challenged the Niagara River and the mighty Horseshoe Falls. Riding on a single JET SKI Robert launched himself directly at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls. At the brink of the falls, Robert ignited a rocket-propelled parachute that was strapped to his back. His plan was that the rocket would quickly deploy the parachute, allowing him to safely land in the river below, where he would be rescued. Well, Bob did ignite the rocket, which deployed the parachute as planned.

Unfortunately, as the parachute deployed, it fell away to the ground below. You see, good ol' Bobby had no idea that the parachute wasn't tethered to his body. He hadn't packed his own chute prior to the stunt, and he was unaware of this fatal error. Can you say "Oops"?

Overacker fell to his death to the water below the Falls. His body was recovered by staff at the Maid of the Mist.


"Watch that first step - it's a doozy!"

Next, there's the tale of Jessie Sharp, a 28 year old bachelor from Ocoee, Tennessee. On June 5th 1990, Jessie attempted to ride over the Horseshoe Falls in a 12-foot long, 36-pound polyethylene KAYAK. He brought with him a film crew to videotape his journey into the darkness of the river.

Being the fashion conscious young man that he was, Jessie didn't wear a protective helmet, because it would cover his face for the video. He also didn't wear a life preserver, because he thought it would hamper his escape if he was caught under the Falls.

Sure enough, Jessie was filmed going over the Falls in his Kayak. However, he was never seen again nor his body ever been recovered. But at least he looked good at the end.