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Boats are usually the only vessels you need to worry about crossing paths with if you decide to go kayaking. However, a couple of guys in Australia unlocked an unlikely threat after they ended up in the water courtesy of a hot air balloon that managed to collide with them.
There’s always a chance you’ll encounter some trouble when you decide to partake in any kind of recreational activity where water is involved, but kayaking tends to be a pretty low-stakes affair in the grand scheme of things.
Wearing a life jacket mitigates the risk of drowning that is probably the most perilous fate associated with that particular pastime, especially if you’re paddling on a river or lake. Hitting the open ocean increases the chances of being stalked by a shark or being inadvertently swallowed by a whale, but it would still be a stretch to refer to the typical excursion as “dangerous.”
For the most part, the worst thing that can happen is you head back to shore with clothes that are significantly wetter than when you embarked, which was the case with a couple of guys in Australia who had a very unexpected encounter with a hot air balloon.
A hot air balloon collided with two kayakers who were struck by its basket at a festival in Australia
It’s been close to 40 years since the first Canberra Balloon Spectacular descended upon Australia’s capital city, and when March rolls around each year, tens of thousands of spectators get the chance to soak in the approximately 50 hot air balloons that are showcased.
That includes some people who hop aboard kayaks and other watercraft and make their way onto Lake Burley Griffin, which is where some of the balloonists participating in the festival try to inject some extra entertainment by skimming their baskets over the surface.
According to ABC, that was the maneuver one with a black and purple canopy engaged in on Saturday morning while Eric Vu and William Lam were chilling in a kayak on the lake.
The two men told the outlet they were snapping pictures of themselves when they noticed the balloon making its way toward where they were floating. They eventually realized it was heading directly at them before unsuccessfully attempting to paddle away, and a drone hovering overhead captured the moment they landed in the drink after the basket collided with them.
The duo thankfully emerged without a scratch, and the pilot who struck them offered to give them a free flight in the same balloon to make up for it.