In this episode, we delve into the story of Eric, a wingsuit base jumper who nearly died during a jump, to explore the risks, attitudes, and decision-making in extreme sports. Eric’s candid interview highlights how rapid progression without mentorship, inferred peer pressure, and normalization of risky behavior nearly led to fatal consequences. His reflections underscore the need for awareness, honest self-assessment, and the courage to address safety concerns, both in wingsuit base jumping and diving. The episode discusses the role of social media in glamorizing risky sports, the sunk-cost fallacy, and the importance of learning from near-misses. By drawing parallels to diving, we hope to inspire listeners to be more mindful of safety, effective communication, and continuous learning in any high-risk pursuit. Warning: This podcast contains swearing.

Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/congratulations-on-surviving-dude-you-re-one-lucky-f-er

Links: Full blog: http://topgunbase.ws/i-flew-my-wingsuit-into-trees-and-woke-up-in-a-hospital/

Today is a good day to die article: https://issuu.com/divermedicandaquaticsafety/docs/divermedicmagazine_issue9

Incompetent and Unaware blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/incompetent-and-unaware-you-don-t-know-what-you-don-t-know

DAN non-fatal incident reporting: http://www.danap.org/accident/nfdir.php

British Sub Aqua Club incident reporting: http://www.bsac.com/page.asp?section=1038&sectionTitle=Annual+Diving+Incident+Report

Tags: English, Decision Making, Gareth Lock, Normalisation of Deviance, Situational Awareness