There is at last something very exciting happening in the world of theme parks. Entertainment has been added with more life threatening excitement in a new theme park; that is set to open in Darwin in two weeks. With an official launch in October, this park, Crocosaurus Cove; is going to begin in July. It will give a 15-minute underwater experience, with an up close encounter with the crocodile. It is already popular for $29million Crocosaurus as the Cove three-level crocodile theme park in Mitchell Street.

In addition, there is this ’shark cage without bars’ that is going to be the major attraction to the tourists. This is going to give the most exciting underwater trip with seven croc enclosures. It will be made equally nerve-threatening to the viewers, by the windows below water level.

Crocosaurus Cove is going to be a fulltime entertaining theme perk with a licensed food and drink area for 600 people, where you can always have shows of snake handling and croc feeding. The park will also have a 90-seat theatre, where everyone can see short historical films about the Territory and a ‘world of crocs’. The park is going to have the largest Australian reptile collection in the world that will include famous crocs like Burt, Snowy and Chopper, along with a couple Houdini and Bess.

Via: NT News

Well, I wonder out of how many teenagers across all the continent, sailing all alone around the world would be an ideal idea for a long holiday. Yes, I know its no child’s play but the a 16-year-old lad from Los Angeles is just on his way to make it a reality. Zac Sunderland from US hopes to break the record of solo sailing around the world, earlier set by David Dicks from Australia (he was 18 years, 41 day old then). Zac is all set to pull the ropes today from Marina Del Rey, California and make the yearlong journey in his private 36ft boat, which he bought with his own savings and become the youngest person to sail alone around the world. The young voyager’s route has been chalked out, beginning from Marina Del Rey, his first stop will be the Marshall Islands, 4,000 miles (6,437km) away. Then Zac would take the challenging 40,000-mile (64,400-km) route across the Pacific to Papua New Guinea and Australia and from there across the Indian Ocean to Mauritius and Madagascar. On completion of this stage, Zac would find himself routing around the Cape of Good Hope to the South Atlantic ocean and then finally steering through the Panama Canal and heading north back to California. Phew!

Like every intelligent navigator, Zac too knows every inch of his boat and also that ‘if you fall in, you’re pretty much gone’. His only companion on his voyage would be an iridium phone that will allow him to speak to his friends and family and send e-mails. A High School student, Zac will sleep in a narrow bunk, in case of stormy seas and will survive on freeze-dried food and fish he catches on the way. Born to a sailor’s family, with his parents already cruised the Pacific for three years with their young family, fully support their son’s dream without any doubts about any kind of mishappening. He is expected to returns before January 2010 to beat the current record. We wish him all the luck. Bon Voyage!

Via: BBC

She is preparing to take over the most challenging of all, The Arch in Dahab, Egypt. It is a huge archway, or tunnel, connecting the Blue Hole - a massive abyss - with the open ocean. To complete the dive, Sara must first swim down 55 meters to the tunnel entrance. Then she will try to swim another 35 m through the tunnel and then up to the surface. In all she will be covering around 145 meters in all, while holding breath at the same time.

If she manages to conquer the Arch, she will be the first ever woman to do so. The Arch has claimed countless lives so far, only few have managed to conquer it and all of them were men. She will need special contraptions to accomplish the unique feat, along with her famed monofin.

Free diving is an endurance sport where ones mettle is tested against the sea. It is like subjecting your body to full workout while holding the breath at the same time. For a normal human being, holding breath for more than 1 minute is a torture. Though Indian Yogis have held breath for longer duration, but no one has combined scuba diving with it.

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Via: sundaymirror

Here, have a peek

Dare to check the gallery below!

Credit: Tutztutz

Are you an adventure sports enthusiast, who loves surfing on the high waves of the tumultuous sea? It might not be possible for you to be present on the beach every weekend. If you are a Londoner, then wait only for three more years to see your dreams become a reality in sometime in 2011. The surfers and curious onlookers will flock to east London to surf on the waves of the world’s first outdoor surfing machine.

Skiing on indoor ice replicating the Alpine slopes, have become a passe with even shopping malls sporting one these days. The new attraction now lies on replicating the sea with artificial waves. The ₤20 million Venture Xtreme project will come up on an abandoned dock at Silvertown Quays in east London. There will be a complete seaside ambiance with an artificial beach dotted with palm trees, boardwalks, and even barbecues.

It will cost ₤30 for an hour of riding on 10 waves. After all, this is the difference between surfing on the real waves and on artificial waves, with the former not allowing you to manipulate its swelling water. Cynics might find this artificial surfing a far cry from the real thing. But for the not so brave surfers, you are safe from the rocks and sharks of the sea.

Source: daily mail

It’s natural people expect their soul to ‘rest in peace’ at least in their death. But whether that truly happens or not is another question. If you happen to visit the Cliffs of Sagada in Phillipines you will be surprised to see to what extent people go to ensure that their souls rest in peace.

You will find hundreds of coffins hanging down the cliffs or jutting out of a rock and these have been around since 2,000 years when you scan the higher areas of the cliff. People carved their own coffins before death and the corpses were smoked to preserve it throughout the 5-day pre-burial feast.

Why did they do this? People probably believed that higher your body is laid the close they are to ‘heaven’ and mountains were held in high esteem those days. Another reason might be to protect the bodies that could have destroyed because of natural disasters like earthquakes and floods.

If you just have a look at the surrounding area, you will wonder how they managed to get bring the corpse through such an unpopulated area and manage to settle these coffins that high even when they grieved the loss of their loved one. They probably used ropes to lower the coffins down the cliff or used timber scaffolding to raise the coffin high up.

Have a look at this video of the cliffs and you’ll know that death is really an adventure!

Via: Deputy Dog

I often stumble upon luxury blogs like Born Rich and read about products meant for the affluent and wonder how it would be to lead a life like that even if it’s for a day. I’m sure many of you like me would happily lap up an offer to be a celeb or to be with celebs and see how their life would be. Why not? After all, life is short and you have to experience life King size even if it’s for a day or two.

There are a couple of ‘luxury lifestyle brokers’ who can arrange you couple tickets to the Emmy’s or the Oscar party, complete with a limo and accommodation at the Beverly hills, arrange for a thrilling experience of being a fighter pilot for a day. Want to rub shoulders with Page 3 celebs at the Playboy Mansion or get invited to a movie premiere? No worries, this can be done too. Wait, all these of course come with a price tag!

Bluefish Concierge is one such company, that can secure impossible access to A-list events, set up that “I never thought I could do this” adventure, line up private charter flights and book luxury accommodations in every city around the world. They also exel at arranging outrageous, one-of-a-kind experiences available nowhere else from sending clients in a submarine to see the remains of the Titanic to providing exclusive access to the greatest award shows, fashion events, and arranged fighter jet flights over Moscow.

Signature Days offers you a mind boggling variety of unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences that are out-of-the-box not only for you but also for your pets. So, you can have the ultimate music experience of the Rock ‘n’ Roll fantasy 5-day camp with professional rock ‘n roll stars for $16,000, be a fighter pilot for a day, climb into the cockpit of a real military aircraft with your instructor and experience the thrill of air combat! for $2,000.

How does it work? These companies have connections with corporate sponsors, celebrity event organizers, charities and insiders who’ll arrange to give you the exclusive high life of the affluent.

So, what if you are not ‘born rich‘ or ‘made rich’, you can still experience their lifestyle at least once in your lifetime!

Source

Climbers normally head to the summit of Mont Blanc for the awesome views. Guess what these folks are heading up there for? A recent expedition to the summit carried a jacuzzi kit with them to party it up on the top of the Mont Blanc: probably one of the highest bath tub parties or you can call it high altitude craziness.

Besides the regular climbing gear like backpack, sleeping bag and mattress and rest of the hardware, one Mont Blanc team headed up for the top with jacuzzi setup gear as well. Although the summit of a 4810 meter mountain is no place to goof around, these folks proved otherwise. They have proved the fact that jacuzzi events are meant to be at exceptional places.

In the oxygen deprived summit of Mont Blanc, a dip in the hot jacuzzi is almost like getting back to life. By the time you get to the top you are wasted, with every bit of your energy is spend and you are just in time for a hot bath.

It took the team about a whole year to make the jacuzzi system efficient, reliable and yet light weight. How light? Well, try 45 pounds. So, the team had to find enough people who could top out (reach the summit) by morning light with 45 pounds of jacuzzi and get it ready for the morning bath. I think the idea is insane. After extreme ironing ideas( taking iron board to new heights), jacuzzi is the next best thing. Although, I think it’s sort of a disrespect for the mountain.

Image Credits: Jacuzzi[1],[2]

How about base jumping into the world’s deepest cave shaft? Yes you’ve guessed it right I’m talking about the Cave of Swallows, a cave that is so deep that it can engulf the Empire State Building. Located in a rain-forest in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, the cave is a 400m vertical shaft and the dream destination of adrenaline junkies. It takes approximately 12 seconds to base jump from the top of the cave but believe me it’s not a sport for the faint hearted. Check out the craziest videos below.

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Jason Lewis, 40-year old British adventurer who spent 13 years circumnavigating the world using only human-powered transport has completed his epic journey. Having completed the final leg of his 46,000-mile odyssey by pedaling his 26-foot boat Moksha up the River Thames, Lewis reached back home on October 6.

Lewis set off from London in July 1994 in a flimsy yellow pedal boat to circumnavigate the world and took exactly 13 years, 2 months, 23 days and 11 hours to complete his trip. During his journey, Lewis walked, swum, pedaled, skated and ridden all the way around the globe, never using transport powered by motors or wind.

The journey was not very easy for Lewis, he had to face many problems. Capsizing in the North Atlantic Ocean he broke both legs, was chased by a crocodiles in Australia and arrested on suspicion of spying in Egypt after illegally crossing the border from Sudan and was threatened with a 40-year prison sentence. He also survived crocodile attacks, malaria, blisters and underwent major surgery after having both legs broken in a hit-and-run accident while rollerblading across the United States.

Encouraging world citizenship between cultures and promoting environmental issues were the main aims with which Lewis started the journey of circumnavigating the globe using only human-powered transport. I salute Lewis for his feat.

Image Credit

Source: ITN

I’m sure y’all know about water skiing, the most amazing feats in water sports. Latest in water skiing is a record breaking attempt by water-skiers in Germany. 33 water skiers have smashed the world record for most water skiers skiing behind one single boat. Jostling for position, the skiers stood on their feet as they were pulled down the river. A speedboat named Heidelberg was used for this record-breaking feat that was undertaken on the Mosel River near Poelich.

Source: Spluch

Adrenaline junkies are always in search for something new and thrilling. Do you fancy yourself as a bit of an adrenaline-junkie? If yes, then I can suggest you the latest must-do diving experience, Crocodile Cage Diving. You are right if you think I’m talking about swimming with killer crocodiles.

Not for faint-hearted, it’s a daring task that is offered only in South Africa at the Cango Ranch. What makes this so daring is that these crocodiles are 4m long Nile crocodiles and are man-eating predators. They view humans as their prey.

Daredevils who wish to attempt this adrenaline-pumping feat are slowly lowered into the heated crocodile pool along with 5 large Nile crocodiles and are protected from the predators by a specially designed cage. Guarded by the strong cage, the crocodiles swim around you sizing you up as a tasty snack.

You do not need any scuba diving experience to take part in this thrilling activity. Minimum age is 12 and children up to the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. South African crocodile cage diving is an experience that will set you back about $40, but I think its well worth the excitement of a once in a life time experience. So, if you’re the one who has wishes to attempt this adrenaline-pumping feat, gather up your courage and give it a go!

Source: Daily Mail

George Mallory and Andrew Irvine at their camp as they prepare to climb Everest in June 1924.

We all know Sir Edmund Hillary as the first man to climb Everest. Right! But Graham Hoyland, a producer with the BBC claims that British mountaineer George Mallory was the first person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest and not New Zealander Edmund Hillary.

Graham Hoyland has spent eight years of his life going on expedition to Mt. Everest and researching and researching before finally concluding that Mallory and Andrew Irvine were the first men to conquer the Everest in 1924, three decades before Sir Hillary reached there in 1953. Hoyland is all set to expose the accepted theory that Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to conquer Everest as untrue. He will present his findings to the Royal Geographical Society in a lecture.

Source: Telegraph

Ballooning is a fun activity for those who are not quite adrenaline junkies. This is for tourists mostly. Cappadocia gives ballooning a different dimension. If you are looking forward to exploring the skies, this is your chance. Here’s a brief description of Kevin Blake’s experience.

Even before I get into the intricate details of ballooning, let’s talk about the costs. Kevin booked a balloon trip for only 210 Euros along with a 5:30 ish pick up to the spot from his hotel.

The Kapadokya balloons do a pretty good job of flight seeing. There are other balloon tour operators as well.

The most unique thing about this ’sport’ or mode of transportation, is the fact that you don’t feel the motion.

Basically, you look around from the safety net of the basket. Cold air is used to inflate the balloons a little bit. Hot air makes this balloons go up.

The balloons can travel at an average height of 15000 feet. I think that’s pretty high.

With Cappadocia nestled between the cities of cities of Nevsehir, Kayseri and Nigde, the views from 15000 feet are fabulous. The valleys down below and the deep canyons are what makes the flight worth it. The tranquility you experience is great. Kevin calls it a ‘brilliant experience’.

So, come and experience it for yourself.

Image Credit: Kapadokyaballoons

In the recent past Dave Mullins from Wellington astonished us by making a world record of swimming underwater without a breath. Once again he made an attempt to swim underwater without breathing and has successfully accomplished the task.

Smashing his own record Mullins swam 244 meters underwater, extending his previous World Record by 16 meters in just 4:02 minutes. Mullins found the swim bit tough in the beginning but his strong will power made him continue the swim and succeed in the endeavor.

Applauding Mullins victorious swim, World Class Judge Grant Graves (USA) said:

This is one of the most significant increases in a World Record that I have witnessed or heard of. It was a very impressive swim.

Mullins’ journey doesn’t end here. After such a wow performance, he plans to leave for Egypt in 6 weeks to compete in Freediving World Championship for constant weight ocean freediving. I wish him good luck!

Source: Spluch