An individual accidentally dropped a GoPro into a river known as one of the ‘most dangerous in the world’, and the footage that emerged amazed viewers.
The Strid, situated in Yorkshire, UK, is a river that is only two meters wide at its narrowest but extends approximately 65 miles through the Wharfe Valley and into the River Ouse.
Though The Strid is located near many well-trafficked hiking trails due to its picturesque environment, it poses serious risks.
At its most profound point, the river reaches depths of over 200 feet, making survival for anyone who falls in highly improbable.
To date, there are no documented cases of anyone surviving a plunge into The Strid, and the total number of fatalities remains unknown.
Those who are presumed to have lost their lives are believed to have attempted to leap across The Strid, which is said to ‘mercilessly suck its victims into the underwater caves and eroded tunnels hidden beneath each side of the rocky channel’, according to The Yorkshire Dales website.
Given the dangerous reputation of the river, YouTuber Jack Harding, known as @jackasnacks on YouTube, decided to take a risk by lowering his GoPro into The Strid to capture what lies beneath the surface.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot8lr_5oHE4
The GoPro was, of course, attached to a rope, but the endeavor nearly cost Jack his camera when it became lodged between rocks for almost 30 minutes.
In his footage, Jack shared views from various depths and parts of The Strid, reaching a maximum depth of 25 to 30 meters.
Many noted the presence of air bubbles at that depth.
“The most frightening thing there is the bubbles at 25m-30m,” one individual remarked on the 2021 video.
“It shows just how powerful the downwards current is at that point. If it can take air that far down (and further) then it’s easy to see why a person falling in or being swept into that section is not coming up again!”
Another viewer commented: “Dude, as a diver, I cannot imagine anything more terrifying than seeing air bubbles constrained in current at that depth, that came from the surface vs. a diver’s exhaust gas.
“It takes a huge amount of energy to drag air down there. And if that’s cavitation… well, just look up how pressure that requires! I’m honestly amazed you got your camera back!”
“The fact the bubbles haven’t been able to rise all the way down at 30 meters is terrifying, that downward current is so strong,” another person echoed.
Someone else remarked that the video made it ‘immediately clear why this river is so deadly’.