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In the world of whitewater kayaking, Southeast Mexico is home to a serious beast, a waterfall, known as Tomata 2, that offers up regular beatings to the world’s best kayakers.

This from Galen Volckhausen, who ran the 80-foot drop in the state of Veracruz four times in 2012: At the widest, the entrance rapid is probably six feet, (with the) skinniest (section) being about four. As you go through the notch at the end of the entrance rapid it opens up to an 80-foot drop. The first 40 feet is sliding/bouncing (off an off-vertical piece of rock) with a huge curler on the right that wants you to be upside down. After the slide it kicks off into 40 feet of free fall.

The thing is just burly. And sticks in the brain of every kayaker who’s ever attempted it (especially those who’ve been beaten down by it). Watch as paddlers like Evan Garcia, Rush Sturges, Gerd Serrasolses and Vlockhausen take some serious beaterings off the monster drop. Sturges, who put the edit together, sums up the rapid thus: “I’ve had the best line of my life on this drop, and the worst.”

For the record, plenty of paddlers have stuck the hell out of this waterfall. We’ll leave you with Sturges, proving that point:

 
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