Queen's Bath - Kauai, HI. Crazy kids 'Shoot the Ball'

[Youre_Right]

This is child’s play. When I was in Hawaii I not only did this, but I jumped in a volcano and swam around in the lava. I waited for an eruption that blasted me out of the volcano. Then using just the power of positive thinking was able to fly 12 miles and safely land.

[aus]

These boys are very good swimmers. I can tell as when the ocean pulls them out they don’t panic and try to hopelessly swim against sea but they wait and swim when not being pulled

[nobrizzle]

I've got scars from underestimating that spot on a decent size swell. I almost got dragged out to sea and I'm a big wave surfer. I thought I was being careful so DO NOT underestimate that place!! I was on the dry part about 15 feet from the cliff (like where the filmer is in this) although it was a big swell!!

[xaiano]

This is a perfect illustration of a rip tide, but above water level.

The waves crash over the rocks, but since the water can't go up and back over the rock, it flows back out to sea, creating a strong current.

This happens on most beaches where there are sand bars hidden beneath the water.

[kirksteel]

When I have been in Hawai'i, I have been struck by how many locals told me about drownings on the islands and it was mostly very strong swimmers. They were over-confident. Hell, I am a strong swimmer, scuba diver and sailor and I almost died on the North Shore of Oahu when I was boogie boarding on the second break and didn't pay attention for a moment. I lost my board, got held underwater amongst coral heads and got short of breath. There was a cross current that started sweeping me out to sea and shit got real. Luckily I hadn't lost my fins and I was able to angle myself out, but honestly it scared the ever-loving shit out of me.

[amplitudemaximum]

The guy holding that camera is one cold ass dude. Propably thinking "Welp, nothing i can do now. Might as well film them drown"

[qdav]

Ah, to be young, crazy and full of confidence. I miss those days ... but it's a wonder I managed to survive them.

[paulareger]

never under estimate the power of mother nature!

[UrvashiSatpute]

This is absolutely CRAZYY! Hats off to their swimming skills. Too dangerous n too thrilling !

[ColouredPixels]

why did the last one jumped in at the most scariest part of that whole thing lol

[explosvent]

Like they didnt even care about the 3rd guy 😂

[bt]

I’ve visited Kauai dozens of times starting back when I was 3 years old, and I’ve jumped in this very spot on multiple occasions. Certain times of year, this spot is not safe to swim in (fall and winter mostly), but it’s more than safe to jump here in the summer months, as long as you are a solid swimmer and won’t panic with strong currents. All it takes is a bit of discernment and you’ll be fine.

“If in doubt, don’t go out”. It’s that simple

[rentacowisgoogle]

To be fair the kids looked like they knew what they were doing. Not the safest spot to swim, but as long as you know what you are dealing with it can be done.

[jasonronco]

My Grandfather always said quite sternly (has probably saved my life) : “You have to respect Mother Nature”.

[jmattlife]

I became trapped under the shelf of the Toilet Bowl on Oahu’s Hanauma Bay back in ‘84. I swirled around underneath there as the tide rushed in. Gashed my hip. The thought of jumping in was exciting but got really scary once I was choking. The Toilet Bowl was way smaller than The Queen’s Bath. Glad I made it out!!!

[johnboily]

The amount of air in that ocean means it is tough to stay afloat.

[AStageForTheKingdom]

These kids may have been locals, may have been totally in control, knew what they were doing, etc, HOWEVER this a situation full of unpredictable variables. For example, a rogue wave here could smash them against those rocks. These kids weren't beyond their limits from a swimming standpoint, but there's not a whole lot of room for error in this situation. They clearly thought it was worth the risk, but it's not something I would do (or recommend anyone else do). A rogue wave, a muscle cramp, seizure, etc could turn this situation into a tragedy pretty quick.

[MrPink-]

To the folks saying they have everything controlled and are locals and whatnot.... there's a reason for the saying "respect the sea" You never have everything controlled when it comes to the sea. Kids were lucky.

[hawaiiangunner]

I'm so glad I grew up in hawaii!!! This kind of thing was what we did for fun after school!!! On Oahu leap of faith !!!!

[kukuloke]

People get a grip. If we never did anything "dangerous", we will have survived life, but not lived it. That doesn't mean do something with no thought or ability to do it, but if you have both and feel confident in both, go for it... The "third kid" by the way is my son, and this was years ago when they were teens. They had all been surfing big (20'+) waves for years, and were used to long hold downs. For them this was a mild play in the pond day. On a much bigger day they couldn't get back in, but even then just floated around the corner and swam in at Hanalei. Should someone who didn't have this kind of water experience be out there? Of course not, duh. But these three are all alive and well - intelligent and healthy - my son, now a paramedic just got back from big wave surf sesh in Oregon, another is a pro surfer, and the other is a fire fighter. Don't judge a situation by your comfort/ability level...