Zip Lining Over Gators: Yay or Nay?

[Ax01]

ok so over the weekend a man and child got stuck on a zip line over a gator park in Florida. don't worry, they got down safely from their 40ft perch above gator water. freak accident right? not really. what really caught my attention in the story is that park managers admit that this happens "fairly often." wait wut?!! lol no! not cool.

story and vid here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...ool/ar-AAzOzG0

Man and child visiting Gatorland get stuck on zipline above alligator pool
A trip to the Gatorland theme park in Orlando turned frightening for a man and child after they became stranded on a zipline 40 feet above a pool of alligators.

Footage of the incident, which was shared to Facebook on Saturday by WESH anchor Stewart Moore, shows the man and boy stuck midway through the ride. The man is also seen cradling the young boy, who is clutching one of the ropes attached to their harnesses.
“You really think you’re having a bad day?” a man can be overheard asking in the footage. “Lemme show you what a real bad day looks like,” he added as the camera panned toward the stranded zipliners.

Additional footage shared by Moore shows the man and boy being reeled back toward the zipline tower, while another photo shows what appears to be a staffer coming to meet them in midair. Moore also confirmed the two ultimately got down safely.

Nick Cahippina, the manager of the zipline ride, has since told WESH that the man and child were not in danger. The site also reported that Cahippina said this type of thing happens “fairly often,” and that employees are trained for these situations specifically.

The manager blamed wind gusts for slowing the riders to a stop, but added that due to the pair’s weight, they were stuck on the zipline for about 10 minutes longer than most stranded riders.

Gatorland also issued a statement on the matter, further explaining the conditions that contributed to the malfunction.

"On Saturday July 7th, the zipline experience at Gatorland stopped midway with a father and child aboard during one of the scheduled rides. This was due to the gravity breaking system that stopped the two riders just short of the landing tower. This happens from time to time based on the weight of the riders and the direction of the wind. At no time was anyone in danger. Our zipline staff is highly trained to handle a variety of possible situations. A zipline staffer on the receiving tower immediately hooked himself on the line and retrieved the two people by pulling them to the landing area," reads the full statement from the theme park.

Gatorland currently boasts two ziplinerides at its park, which transport riders over wildlife exhibits including its “Alligator Breeding Marsh” and Cuban and Nile crocodile exhibits.

also here's a separate vid of a gator barely missing another zipliner:

[Craiga 01453]

Sign me up!

[richardhind1972]

Think id leave a brown streak on the landing strip lol
Why would you put yourself in that situation


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[rlditmars]

I don't get it. This just seems reckless for the sake of being reckless. There's enough ways to meet your demise without taunting fate and this is coming from a guy who did some skydiving as a younger man.

As far as zip lining goes, you don't even need Gators. We had a girl (Aimee Copeland) here in GA a few years back who had a zip line break over a stream. No Gators, just dirty water. Contracted Necrotizing Fasciitis and almost died. Miraculously she lived, but lost both her arms below the elbow and both her legs above the knee to the infection. True story.

[dboeren]

People get stuck on zip lines in general, it's not specifically anything about this particular line or the gators under it. It's just a thing that happens. In order to make sure nobody goes too fast, the slope can only be so steep and that means that depending on rider weight, friction, wind, and riding posture that once in a while you run out of steam.

[dboeren]

Also, why do we never see people putting spikes under zip lines? Or fires? Or piles of infected medical needles? Oh yeah, because it's dumb. They're demonizing the gators for the sake of sensationalism.

[sufficio]

I'd do it and enjoy it just to get to see the gators up close! Not for any kind of added 'fear' from the gators being there

[Bogertophis]

There was another unfortunate zipline accident just reported, but a worse outcome- this happened in Hondurus- who needs 'gators? No thanks.
I used to think ziplining looked like fun & that I'd like to try it, but not any more.

Tourists on honeymoon collide while zip-lining, leaving husband dead and wife injured

As the wife was stuck halfway down the cable, her husband slammed into her from behind, authorities said.

[Bogertophis]

Also, why do we never see people putting spikes under zip lines? Or fires? Or piles of infected medical needles? Oh yeah, because it's dumb. They're demonizing the gators for the sake of sensationalism.

And you're right, it's like if they set it up over snake pits. ("Snakes! Why did it have to be SNAKES?")

[Cheesenugget]

I had visited to Gatorland years ago, before the zipline attraction was available. I had walked around that lake area before and I still remembered how BIG the gators were and how close they were hanging out by the boardwalk. There were many birds nesting around that area so the gators were not going anywhere and they are not scared of people who walked by them. During different times of the day, keepers would intentionally lure a group of them out by the shore to feed and to attract an audience.

I cannot believe that they think this is acceptable. That lake is not safe at all. So not worth the risk.