A base jump ‘flight’ was recorded on video this afternoon in Porto da Cruz.
In what is considered the most dangerous extreme sport in the world, base jumpers throw themselves from great heights and, in mid-flight, open their parachutes (suitable for opening at low altitudes).
BASE is an acronym composed of the English words Building (buildings), Antenna (antenna), Span (bridges or viaducts) and Earth (cliffs), the four types of places from which practitioners can launch themselves.
It is not known who the base jumper in the video is, whether he is a foreigner or even from Madeira, a man or a woman, what is certain is that he caught the attention of those who live there.
The spectacular nature of this human ‘flight’ is undeniable, as are the risks for its practitioners, also known as birdmen, because of the flight and the suit they wear.
Base jumping is nothing new in Madeira, and there are videos on the internet of other ‘flights’ carried out in Porto da Cruz and Cabo Girão. In mainland Portugal, Nazaré is one of the favourite spots.
Mário Pardo, the man who jumped off his motorbike at Cabo Girão, was the first Portuguese base jumper. He died last year due to illness.