‘Daredevil’ tourist dangles over edge of 1,640-foot waterfall in ‘risky’ stunt caught on shocking video

A man and woman in water.
A man and woman in water.

She went chasing waterfalls — and risked her life for it.

Kristin Torres, 39, pulled a “risky” stunt with her husband Ryan Torres, 40, during an excursion to visit Devil’s Pool on the edge of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, South Africa — handing over the 1,640-foot drop being held just by her ankles.

The couple runs the Born To Dream Tours safari company, where guests are given the opportunity to add an “excursion” to their safaris with a visit to Victoria Falls through a partnering tour company.

The couple runs the Born To Dream Tours safari company, where guests are given the opportunity to add an “excursion” to their safaris with a visit to Victoria Falls through a partnering tour company. Kennedy News/Kristin Torres
The couple runs the Born To Dream Tours safari company, where guests are given the opportunity to add an “excursion” to their safaris with a visit to Victoria Falls through a partnering tour company. Kennedy News/Kristin Torres

Kristin, originally from Boston, Massachusetts, has sent tourists on the excursion in the past and even had a group scheduled to visit the Devil’s Pool recently, but the group backed out after seeing it because they got “too nervous,” according to Kennedy News.

“In the past we have put itineraries together for people and sent them to Victoria Falls but none of them have done Devil’s Pool,” she shared. “We’ve had a couple of groups ask about it and we did have a group scheduled to do it in August but they got too nervous. They went and saw it [Devil’s Pool] but they didn’t do it [the photos on the edge].”

But visiting Victoria Falls, which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, was a bucket-list item for Kristin, who now lives in Zanzibar, so she and her husband went to the two of them earlier this month.

“The company that we’re kind of partnered with down there invited us down at the beginning of February,” she shared. “Me and Ryan thought the best way to experience Victoria Falls was to go up to the top of it.”

“It was kind of a work perk you could say in a way,” Kristin quipped.

In a jaw-dropping video, the “daredevil” can be seen lying down over the edge of the falls with her hands splayed out in front of her face, as water flows over and around her, pushing past her over the thousand-foot drop.

Ryan is “terribly afraid” of heights and wasn’t even sure at first that he would make it to the top, but he did. Kennedy News/Kristin Torres
Ryan is “terribly afraid” of heights and wasn’t even sure at first that he would make it to the top, but he did. Kennedy News/Kristin Torres

Kristin seemed to be unfazed and unbothered, but she admitted that taking the photos was “nerve-wracking” due to the “extremely strong water pressure” — and she put her trust in the tour guides who held her by her ankles over the waterfall that stands at two times the height of Niagara Falls.

“It was very nerve-wracking. One of the scariest parts was walking out [onto the edge] as the water pressure is extremely strong. But once you get into the water it’s like a jacuzzi and the water is very warm and relaxing,” she admitted.

She explained that the tour guide took the guests one by one to take their photos, and they had each individual lay on their stomachs as they held onto their ankles.

Each person had about 10 minutes to take photos and videos of themselves lying at the edge.

Each person had about 10 minutes to take photos and videos of themselves lying at the edge. Kennedy News/Kristin Torres
Each person had about 10 minutes to take photos and videos of themselves lying at the edge. Kennedy News/Kristin Torres

“There is a lot of water pressure but it almost presses you down onto the rock like a natural suction cup,” she said. “Another scary part was when you have to lay on your back with your heads in the water and you can’t hear anything so you can’t hear if the guide is giving you instructions or not and you can’t see anything.”

Little fish were also biting at her legs, which scared her because it wasn’t something she expected to experience.

Kristin shared that she has never been afraid of heights, but as she walked to the edge of the Devil’s Pool, she “felt my heart in my throat.”

However, Ryan is “terribly afraid” of heights and wasn’t even sure at first that he would make it to the top, but he did.

The tour guide took the guests one by one to to take their photos, and they had each individual lay on their stomach as they hold onto their ankles. Kennedy News/Kristin Torres
The tour guide took the guests one by one to to take their photos, and they had each individual lay on their stomach as they hold onto their ankles. Kennedy News/Kristin Torres

“I think he may have broken his fear of heights with it but his hands were trembling,” Kristin said. “It was definitely worth taking the risk. I love adventure travel and when I saw Devil’s Pool a long time ago, I knew I had to go with it being one of the seven wonders of the world.”

Though Kristin shared that the falls were “breathtaking,” many viewers questioned the safety of the stunt and branded it as “risky.” Some were amazed by the bravery shown, while others claimed it nearly gave them a “heart attack” and experienced “anxiety” while watching it.

But Kristin said that nothing in life is risk-free, and this was a risk she thought was worth taking.

Kristin, originally from Boston, Massachusetts, has sent tourists on the excursion in the past. Kennedy News/BornToDreamTours
Kristin, originally from Boston, Massachusetts, has sent tourists on the excursion in the past. Kennedy News/BornToDreamTours

“The day before when we were just walking towards the falls, it hit me then that we would actually be walking on the very edge to get up there [to the Devil’s Pool] and a split second or wrong footing, everything could go wrong,” she admitted. “But, when people commented negative things on the post I just replied saying everything in life has risks.”

She continued, “There are people that go bungee jumping and there are people that go skydiving and just getting in your car every day holds a risk.”

Once she got into the Devil’s Pool, Kristin said that she started to feel safe and her nerves calmed down.

“There are people that travel that are history lovers or food lovers and we personally like adventure travel and I’m a bit of a daredevil,” she said.

“I would definitely encourage anyone to go [and see the Falls]. The whole tour was very professionally done,” she said.