'It was definitely a really crazy feeling': Kayakers plunge over 30-metre waterfall in central Alberta

Years of planning came down to a few heart-pounding seconds for a pair of professional whitewater kayakers last week as they paddled over the 30-metre Ram Falls in central Alberta.

Edward Muggridge and Aniol Serrasolses filmed themselves performing the death-defying feat on July 12 and those videos are now being shared all over social media.

"It was definitely a really crazy feeling, it was surreal, at the time I couldn't really fathom what happened," said Muggridge. "So many years of planning and wanting to do something all just coming together right there in that moment was really epic. It was probably one of the best moments in my life so far."

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Ram Falls is about 60 kilometres south of Nordegg in central Alberta.

Just how dangerous the drop was is immediately evident in Muddridge's video, as the end shows him emerging from the water with a bloodied face, the result of smacking the boat when he landed.

"Oh, man, broken nose I think," he's heard saying before spitting out blood.

Muggridge said the pair are both professional whitewater kayakers and he doesn't recommend others attempt similar a feat. 

Originally from Toronto and now living in Squamish, B.C., Muggridge used social media posts to scout the location beforehand.

Descending a waterfall the size of Ram is something the now 21-year-old Muggridge has been wanting to do since he was 16.

"It was like a bit of a pipe dream at first and as I've got better and better at kayaking, and kind of devoted more of my life to the sport, it's grown into my next step in terms of goals," he said.

He and a friend made a trip to Ram Falls last month, but conditions were too dangerous at the time.

"The water levels weren't actually very good, it was a little low and a little too dangerous for us to run it," he said. "We didn't like the margin for error."

But he kept his eye on the falls through social media, waiting for conditions to improve.

"I just follow all the hashtags of Ram Falls, just to see if the water level is looking good or there's been a random weather pattern or something," he said.

"I'd be looking at these random selfie photos of people in front of the waterfall and I'd try to zoom in on the water behind them. I was basically looking at the flow, the amount of water going over the lip of the falls … mostly to determine if there's going to be enough aeration at the bottom of the pool for you to land in."

Once posts looked good, the pair, "packed our stuff up and drove 12 or 13 hours straight."

"We got in our boats, got our gear on and made it over to the lip," he said.

Serrasolses, who is from Spain, went first, then Muggridge followed.

"Once I pushed myself into the river … and it was too late to turn around, that's when I really just locked in and everything I was worrying about or scared about disappeared from my mind and it was just me and the waterfall," he said. "I just focused on having a good line and making it to the bottom safely."

The feat wasn't the first time kayakers have gone over Ram Falls, which Muggridge says was done in 2012 by Peter Thompson, Dylan Thompson and Ryan Lucas.

He says he's now eyeing Alexandra Falls in the Northwest Territories as one of his next goals.

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