Fark! Christchurch river accident

[jellywrestler]

XL883N no less.

yeah that
s before pics had come out

[R650R]

Some more pics up on the article now. Hell that's quite a drop even onto water, must have had damn good reactions and skill to grab that tree or blessed with some mighty good luck.

[Paul in NZ]

Some more pics up on the article now. Hell that's quite a drop even onto water, must have had damn good reactions and skill to grab that tree or blessed with some mighty good luck.

Yeah I was thinking about that. Given the extremely BAD luck of having a truck suddenly leap sideways into your path and fortunately punch a hole in the guardrail I was thinking he was due a little good luck...

[willytheekid]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9290...survivor-talks

Shane explaines his side of it...

...damn scary stuff

[haydes55]

I would of just let go of the tree and swam to the bank further down the river.

[rastuscat]

I would of just let go of the tree and swam to the bank further down the river.

Yesterday the river was in flood. If you'd have seen it, you'd not be saying that.

If he'd let go, he'd be living in the Chathams now.

[cheshirecat]

Yesterday the river was in flood. If you'd have seen it, you'd not be saying that.

If he'd let go, he'd be living in the Chathams now.

and be docked $5 tourist levy

[unstuck]

Shane explaines his side of it...

...damn scary stuff

And wearing a Submerge top, lucky he was not wearing that yesterday.

[haydes55]

Yesterday the river was in flood. If you'd have seen it, you'd not be saying that.

If he'd let go, he'd be living in the Chathams now.

I saw the river going through Taumarunui yesterday about 1.5x its size. Id still rather try my luck swimming sideways for a km rather than freeze for 40 minutes.

When I was about 8-10 I lived on a farm which backed onto a river popular with white water rafters. It was about 20m wide and fast flowing (not storm fast but I was young). To swim across the river (to get to the cliff to jump), we would walk about 100m up the river bank then point straight across and swim hard for 5 minutes. By the time I reach the bank I'm at the cliff.

No river is going to hold you in the middle of it.

[Road kill]

With the flood there must of been shit loads of ozone in the air an our man on his Sportys humming down the road enjoying the buzz when the on coming truck driver suddenly realises the traffic in front of him has slowed while he's been looking at the river instead of driving his fucking truck.

He hits the picks an the older shitter he's now driving again locks it all up, crosses the line an punches a hole in the rail.

Mr Sportster also locks it up because he ain't doin' nothing else right now,hit's the left steerer that has just become the immediate scenery an bounces through the new hole in the bridge.

Lands on what used to be really hard stuff but is now several meters of really wet stuff,going fuckin' hard.

So he grabs a handy willow just to catch his breath while he waits for a free ride in a helicopter before calmly walking away in front of the local TV crew.

Fuckyeah,Somebody buy that man a beer.

[MD]

If anyone has his contact details let me know. I want to send him $12 to buy ME a Lotto ticket.

I lost a perfectly good XL175 crossing that river in 76. Bike and I got washed into a deep hole. It went straight down and I swam for the bank. Not easy in helmet and bike boots, so I know how that dude must have felt. My bike was found six months later rooted by gravel. Stones driven into the engine casings. At least it proved my story was kosher.

[Woodman]

What a rush.............Some guys get all the fun.

[scumdog]

I saw the river going through Taumarunui yesterday about 1.5x its size. Id still rather try my luck swimming sideways for a km rather than freeze for 40 minutes.

When I was about 8-10 I lived on a farm which backed onto a river popular with white water rafters. It was about 20m wide and fast flowing (not storm fast but I was young). To swim across the river (to get to the cliff to jump), we would walk about 100m up the river bank then point straight across and swim hard for 5 minutes. By the time I reach the bank I'm at the cliff.

No river is going to hold you in the middle of it.

Possibly this dude had to contend with debris and murky fast flowing water wiht large waves and surges - which may well have affected his view of his downstream options..possibly...

[Kickaha]

Possibly this dude had to contend with debris and murky fast flowing water wiht large waves and surges - which may well have affected his view of his downstream options..possibly...

Dont make excuses, how hard can it possibly be to swim wearing motorcycle gear in a flooded river?

[Grumph]

I saw the river going through Taumarunui yesterday about 1.5x its size. Id still rather try my luck swimming sideways for a km rather than freeze for 40 minutes.

When I was about 8-10 I lived on a farm which backed onto a river popular with white water rafters. It was about 20m wide and fast flowing (not storm fast but I was young). To swim across the river (to get to the cliff to jump), we would walk about 100m up the river bank then point straight across and swim hard for 5 minutes. By the time I reach the bank I'm at the cliff.

No river is going to hold you in the middle of it.

this one will - in flood at the bridge, the waimak is the best part of 1/3 of a mile wide and flowing bloody fast. i seriously doubt if an olympic swimmer could get to the bank. i've sailed from the yacht club further down and i've seen sailing dinghys carried over the bar cos they couldn't make way against the current...and the power boat sent out to recover them have trouble too.

if he hadn't caught the tree, the crays on the chatham rise would have been feeding on him....