World champion diver ignores 'no women' sign on extreme water slide and goes down it anyway
You know the age-old phenomena where someone tells you not to do something and it makes you want to do it more?
This is exactly what happened to Australian professional diver Rhiannan Iffland when she visited a water park in Austria and saw there was a slide which was prohibited to women.
A high-diver, Rhiannan was no stranger to extreme water sports, having successfully dived from heights as high as 20 metres (66 feet).
However this adventure would be completely different to any of her previous accomplishments.
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During a visit to the Area 47 adventure park in Austria, the 33-year-old discovered one of the park's most daunting slides had a stern 'no women' warning.
Ever the rebel, Rhiannan decided to see what she and others were missing out on and jumped on the slide.
Check out the clip below:
In the clip, Rhiannan can be heard saying 'women are not supposed to do this slide' before ignoring the advice in favour of 'YOLO'.
The diver's friend counts her in and then Rhiannan can be seen flying down the slide - which boasts speeds of up to 50 mph - while screaming from either adrenaline or terror.
Sharing the footage on Instagram, she captioned the video: "Here for a good time not a long time! Another YOLO moment."
Why are women advised against using the slide at Austria's Area 47 adventure park?
The video went viral, leaving many people to question why a slide which excluded around half of the adult population existed.
Was it sexism? An elaborate prank?
No, turns out the reason is due to health and safety.
In recent years, there have been reports of women having their insides 'ripped apart' by high-speed water slides.
Which sounds absolutely awful, if I'm being completely honest.
According to the National Library of Medicine in the US, women can sustain horrific injuries if high pressured water enters their body, while there is also a risk of infections due to the foreign bodies found in the water.
When you put it like that, the safety warning sounds completely reasonable.
Rhiannan would later clarify her decision to go on the slide, explaining in an interview with news.com.au that it was 'never my intent to mock the safety regulations'.
"A person’s safety is paramount and I am constantly weighing up any danger with my job," she added. "To suggest otherwise, is wrong."
Area 47 adventure park has since responded to the viral video, telling LADbible Group the slide was originally open to both men and women, but guidelines had since been updated after a 'a significant increase in accidents on this slide'.
"This led to a difficult decision: either disassemble the water slide or restrict its use to men only, as it stands now," a spokesperson said.
"Our highest priority is ensuring the safety and happiness of all our guests, regardless of gender."
Topics: Community, World News
Brenna Cooper