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What is 'death diving'? Internet aghast as Norway's extreme sport trends on TikTok

The latest video of Norweigan athlete Asbjorg Nesje taking the dive, who has become a foremost death diver, has over 42.5 million views

Norway's extreme sport, death diving, seems to be the latest TikTok trend. Videos of people engaging in the risky performance, which calls for a steep jump and a bellyflop before hitting the water, have gone popular all around the world.

Norweigan athlete Asbjorg Nesje, who has become a foremost death diver, attempted many dives. The recent one was on January 24 which has garnered over 42.5 million views. In the viral video, Nesje throws herself off a wooden platform from 81 feet in the air and then drops down before landing in the water below, as per New York Post.

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Who is Asbjorg Nesje?

The viral video, which has introduced many to the intense extreme sport, saw comments from netizens with one saying, "This woman is awesome." Nesje, who began death diving in 2020, is a professional and seasoned death diver and has won both the 2021 and 2022 Døds championships, according to Insider.

The hashtag 'døds', which translates to death in Norwegian, has 236.5 million views on TikTok. And apart from the videos of Nesje, a 2021 video of children, shared by athlete and content creator @ryanbean, has gathered around 19 million views.

What is 'death diving'?

Death diving, or dødsing, began in Norway in 1972 when a group of friends allegedly tried to impress some girls. But official world championships have been held since 2008. The sport consists of jumping off a 10m (33 ft) platform, as per What If.

Death dives are judged on three main criteria: run-up, flight, and landing. The run-up is judged by speed and power, which usually comes from a skip of one foot. For the flight, the “døds must be harmonious in the air and appear as controlled at all times,” whether it be a classic or freestyle jump. A classic døds includes “simple movements,” without full rotations, while a freestyle døds must contain rotations and other “tweaks," as per Døds Federation.

'Just. Stop.'

However, many were shocked to discover the trend as concerns poured in. One wrote, "Just. Stop." Another said, "The worse that can happen is not death but you breaking your neck and becoming paralyzed." An individual commented, “'New Stupid way to kill me' is a weekly trend on TikTok."

On the other hand, many took a dig at the latest trend with a user saying, "I say let's take it to the next level and remove that pesky water from the equation..." While another jokingly said, "Someone should create a stunt called “pay all my bills” to see if they would do it too."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.