Skydiver Lucas Damn’s helmet-cam made skydiving news when it was knocked out of its casing as he jumped out of the plane in a recent dive. The camera survived the 12,500 foot fall and laid resting in the field capturing a unique view of the skydivers gracefully coming to earth.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to free fall without a parachute – this video captures what it would be like. For two minutes, the camera spins wildly out of control capturing very unique images of the camera’s descent. While the video is spinning wildly during the fall, it’s difficult to see very much, but if you slow the video down, there are some very cool images.
What is so remarkable is not that the camera fell off Damn’s helmet, but that it survived the fall and came to land at a perfect angle to capture Damn and his fellow skydivers landing and they were able to locate the camera.
The conversation the skydivers had when they found the camera:
I’m just showing you my new camera. I’m not giving it back to ya. Where’d ya lose it?’
“Where did you find it?” Lucas asks
“In the field where it landed.”
Lucas shouts: “No way! I lost it in freefall!”
“Dude man, that is going to be a cool video.”
View from Damn’s camera before exiting the plane.
View from GoPro before slipping out of the casing.
View from GoPro as it’s slipping out of the casing.
Some viewers of this video allege it may have been a publicity stunt. Lucas Damn denies this and posted about it on his youtube page:
[I] bumped my head on the door frame on exit unclasping the latch on the box. The camera popped out on exit at 12,500 and fell straight down onto the landing area at the DZ and was recovered by a fellow skydiver. It even caught our landings. Not one scratch on the body or lens. Still can’t believe that I got it back and that it is totally fine. A buddy the same day who is one of our camera flyers had the same thing happen but with his SLR….not the same result. I’m definitely a gopro fan for life these little guys are bomb proof
Certainly, the marketing folks at GoPro are loving the publicity this is receiving.
