This is the jaw-dropping moment a lone kayaker decided to really take the plunge plummeting down a 128-foot waterfall.
Kayak legend Rafa Ortiz was caught on camera tackling the enormous Big Banana Falls, in Mexico, by extreme sports photographer Lucas Gilman.
Lucas and Rafa trekked through five miles of steaming jungle and dangerous drug growing cartels to reach the breath-taking falls with Rafa's only intention being to jump off them.
Beside the swirling whirlpool at the bottom of the falls Lucas had the job of capturing the moment Rafa made his dizzying descent.
In just seconds Rafa's tiny kayak can be seen bursting out through the water before the heart-stopping dive to the water.
Miraculously he got through the whole stunt with just a scratch, for which he needed three stitches, and a black eye.
Photographer Lucas, from Colorado, Denver, has followed extreme sports all over the world, but he said this was one of the most challenging shoots ever.
Using two cameras, one horizontal and one vertical, he had just one chance to capture the perfect shot.
He said: 'It was not like I could say to Rafa, 'do you mind climbing up 128 foot again and doing that again'.
'It's not just a question of that, it's also obviously extremely dangerous, if he comes down any other way than the right way the chances are he will be seriously injured or even be killed.
'I just seconds to get the right shot and luckily I got it.'
Lucas was photographing Rafa, who is a Red Bull freestyle kayaker and one of only four people in the world to tackle a plus 100-foot waterfall, as part of an expedition to one of the remotest regions of Mexico.
He said: 'It took us five days to get to the falls and the jungle wasn't the only thing we had to worry about, the area is heavily used by drug dealers to grow marajuana.
'I have been all over the world following extreme sports from India to Africa and Australia, and I'm always planning my next adventure.'
Lucas captured the amazing action on his camera, a Nikon D3S.
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