Kayaker Nouria Newman continues to do what she does best: make new marks on the sport with first female descents down some of the most demanding lines worldwide. This time, she snagged the record for the highest waterfall descent by a female paddler after successfully navigating the 100 foot drop over Don Wilo’s Falls in Ecuador.
Newman tackled the falls as part of her explorations on the Rio Pucuno in February of last year. She holds the first descent on the river, as well as the world record for the drop itself. The run won her Rider of the Year at the Whitewater Awards for the fifth year in a row, on top of her triple grip on the title of Extreme Kayak World Champion and fistfuls of other first descents to her name.
Filmmaker David Arnaud dove into the story that inspired the run, just one branch of her travels over recent years as she’s worked to heal from personal struggles through solitude and rigor on the water. The result of his plunge into her motivations and inclinations, Wild Waters, follows Newman from her time on the waves to her life far beyond the shore. Arnaud hopes to shed light on what gives this groundbreaking athlete her drive to so consistently redefine what kayakers — and human beings in general — can actually accomplish on the water.
In Newman’s case, she’s able to stare challenges straight in the face with dumbfounding grace and determination. The film looks into where she finds her drive, how she handles struggles that threaten to paralyze her, and what connection she makes between her adventures and her radical relationship with the natural world.
Ride along with Nouria, on the scene and in the landscape of her Rio Pucuno descent, in the Wild Waters documentary on Red Bull TV.