Some people see a flooded river and think: stay away. Others think: perfect day for a jet ski.
A viral video from Brazil belongs firmly in the second category. Filmed on the Piracicaba River in São Paulo state, it shows a lone rider charging into a ferocious stretch of brown-water rapids that looks more like a washing machine than a river.
See the footage, linked here, and below.
The jet ski bucks through standing waves, its nose punching skyward as the current tosses it around. Then the inevitable: the rider loses his grip and disappears into the churning water.
For a few tense seconds, it looks bad.
Related: Watch: Jet Ski ‘Idiots’ Terrorize Small Boat Until It Capsizes in Australia
But somehow, he resurfaces beside the craft, claws his way back aboard, and—because apparently surviving wasn’t enough—keeps riding.
The footage, credited in media reports to Instagram account @adson_ivan, has gone viral. Collectively, clips of the incident have reportedly attracted more than 38 million views.
The location? Near Engenho Central, a historic landmark along the Piracicaba River. The region has experienced significant flooding following heavy rainfall.
On October 25, the river reached 5.96 meters (19.6 feet) on the local water-level gauge, exceeding the 4.7-meter flood threshold. Nearby streets were closed. However, the video’s filming date remains unconfirmed, so the stunt cannot definitively be linked to that particular flood.
As for the daredevil’s identity, no reliable report has confirmed his name. He is seen recovering and continuing, although an independent medical update wasn’t available.
It’s not the first time riders have tested this river. A Brazilian broadcaster recently profiled 35-year-old local businessman Deivid Diniz, who described riding floodwaters as his escape from stress. But there’s no confirmation he’s the person in this clip.
Online, the verdict was characteristically merciless.
“Natural selection at work,” joked one viewer.
“This is why women live longer,” said another.
One defender countered: “He made a conscious decision. Let the man enjoy his life.”
Others simply called him a “legend.”
Let’s stick with that.
Legend.
Related: Watch: Massive Dam Opens Gates After 5 Years, Unleashing World’s Biggest Standing Wave
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