The GoPro camera has become a huge sensation in the last few years because it allows people to actively record their lives while doing any sort of activity. GoPro cameras allow people to record their experiences while being able to do so non-stop without having to hold onto a camera.
Wheelchairs users are using the GoPro camera to record their activities without having to hold a camera while in action. We support people that do what they love and enjoy recording it, here are some videos that include wheelchair users doing some fun activities.
Video #1: Paraplegic TV Reporter Goes Bungee Jumping in Whistler, Canada
For one of the scariest things I can imagine doing from a wheelchair – bungee jumping – this next video shows just that. Tara Weber, a T4 paraplegic and Canadian journalist (she was a longtime TV reporter in the Toronto-area). decided to go bungee jumping from her wheelchair, and asked her videographer cousin to help document it using his GoPro camera.
Where she jumped – Whistler, Canada – is possibly one of the most beautiful places to go bungee jumping in North America. She went through Whistler Bungee too, a bungee jumping outfit in Whistler, Canada and they were more than accommodating to her wheelchair (avid disabled travelers, make a note). They did throw her off a bridge in a wheelchair, but she paid for it. heh
The video itself is only 3 minutes long, but it shows everything you need, from her getting suited-up and prepped to the jump itself, all with the camera attached to her wheelchair. Despite being crazy afraid of heights, this video is so awesome it almost makes me want to try it (almost).
Watch Tara’s big jump at Whistler
Video #2: Paralyzed Pro-Surfer Christiaan “Otter” Bailey on Dawn Patrol
Christiaan “Otter” Bailey, one of the few paralyzed pro-surfers in the world and a SCI superstar we’ve profiled, has been a pro surfer since he was 7 years old. Christiaan however was paralyzed eight years ago while filming a skateboard documentary (another passion of his), but he hasn’t stopped doing what he loves.
In this video showing him doing dawn patrol (checking out the waves for the day) while working at an adapted kid’s surfing camp in Costa Rica, Christiaan puts a GoPro camera on the front of his longboard to get some epic footage of him, and holy cow is it awesome. If you’re not motivated by this, you may be dead (just sayin’).
Watch Christiaan surf on his stomach in Costa Rica
Video #3: B-E Aggressive – Footage of Wheelchair Lacrosse
If you’ve always been a little too intimidated to try a group adapted sport, this GoPro footage of the wheelchair lacrosse league in the USA will definitely change your mind. It shows how fast and furious this game can be, and wounded vets love it.
If you were into aggressive sports before your injury and didn’t think you could find a sport that would give you that, wheelchair lacrosse is where it’s at. The video is quite lengthy, at 5+ minutes, but if you’ve always wanted to play, this is a great overview (and the first minute is by far the best).
Watch two teams battle it out playing wheelchair lacrosse
While capturing your wheelchair adventures comes at a steep price, (a GoPro camera starts out at $199), if you have the money and the creativity to go with it, it’s more than worth it. You could even get so good at it that you can sell your videos to rehab facilities, or start a blog and get some advertisers, and that would be a very good thing.
- Learn more: GoPro Camera from Hero