Has anyone ever gone over Niagara Falls in a kayak?

In 1990, Jesse Sharp paddled over Niagara's Horseshoe Falls in a decked canoe and was never seen again. The falls has never been attempted in a kayak. Niagara has been the scene of dozens of suicide attempts, a few of which have failed. That fact gave Ortiz confidence that a kayaker could successfully descend Niagara.



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Today marks 25 years since this achievement! On June 5th, 1990, Jesse Sharp became the first and only man to successfully ride a kayak over the legendary horseshoe falls at Niagara. Sharp was a veteran of whitewater, being well-known in the area of Tennessee's Ocoee River.

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Jessie W. Sharp, a 28 year old bachelor from Ocoee, Tennessee attempted to ride over the brink of the Horseshoe Falls in a 3.6m long kayak on June 5,1990. Sharp, unemployed at the time, was an experienced white water kayaker.

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— Fifty years ago, Roger Woodward earned bragging rights as one of the few people to survive a plunge over Niagara Falls. Not that he ever used them. For sure, the 7-year-old miracle boy who tumbled over the brink after a boating accident is part of the colorful folklore of the Falls.

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To this day, Woodward, a seven-year-old who was neither a daredevil nor a stuntman, was the first person to survive a plunge over the Horseshoe Falls not in a barrel. Niagara Falls in 1994.

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No accidents or injuries have occurred on the Maid of the Mist except when one of the vessels was disabled when a drift log fouled it's propellers.

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Fifteen people have attempted to go over Niagara Falls and just 10 have come out alive. Rafa Ortiz made it his quest to join that successful number. Three years in the making, Chasing Niagara tells the story of the Mexican-born paddler's bid to become the first kayaker in history to successfully tackle the falls.

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Niagara Falls Facts The sound of the Falls has been described as thunder, and is caused by air bubbles breaking as they are slammed up and out of the water. The plunge pool beneath the falls is 35m(100 feet) deep. It is estimated that Niagara Falls erodes at the rate of 1foot per year.

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The deepest section in the Niagara River is just below the falls. It is so deep that it equals the height of the falls above: 52 metres (170 ft.) The Upper Niagara River extends 35 kilometres (22 mi.) from Lake Erie to the Cascade Rapids, which begin 1 kilometre (0.6 mi.)

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The resulting erosion at the base of a waterfall can be very dramatic, and cause the waterfall to recede. The area behind the waterfall is worn away, creating a hollow, cave-like structure called a rock shelter. Eventually, the rocky ledge (called the outcropping) may tumble down, sending boulders into the stream ...

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Fish bodies are streamlined and relatively light so a long fall into water isn't usually a problem. Niagara River expert, Wes Hill, estimates that 90 per cent of fish survive the drop over Niagara Falls. But a waterfall that cascades over rocks, such as Yosemite Falls, will be fatal to all but the smallest fish.

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Niagara Falls is a beautiful and powerful natural phenomenon. Created over 12,000 years ago by the receding glacial lake, the Niagara River carved its way through the land to form the world-renowned waterfall. It is an awe-inspiring sight made entirely of nature's own design.

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