Extreme sport deaths expose a patchwork of safety regulations

Experts and operators in the adventure tourism industry watched in horror as a video went viral of a young woman in Brazil plunging to her death this month.

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Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, died after rope-jump instructors tossed her off a bridge without securing her equipment.

In the video, Eduarda is lifted into the air by two instructors while a third looks on. She spread her arms wide like an airplane as the men launched her headfirst off a bridge.

Eduarda tumbled to her death with no safety ropes attached to her equipment.

“It’s just heartbreaking — it didn’t have to happen,” said Ute K. Finch, general manager of Kapalua Ziplines in Maui, Hawaii. “That’s just sheer negligence.”

On the same weekend Eduarda died, 11 skydivers and a pilot were killed in Missouri when their aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff. In Utah, two BASE jumpers, including one who performed alongside Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, died during a tandem jump.

All three fatal accidents occurred within 24 hours last weekend, renewing calls for stricter regulations in an industry that is largely responsible for regulating itself.

“It’s all over the map,” said Shannon Stowell, CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, or ATTA, which helps to promote and develop best practices in adventure tourism. “The default is that there are not a lot of specific regulations simply because there’s such a wide variety of activities.”

The world of extreme sports and adventure travel has long courted thrill-seeking people looking for experiences that range from the hair-raising to the awe-inspiring. For some, a weekend camping trip doesn’t offer the same rush as whitewater rafting or zip-lining through a jungle. But with a few exceptions, there are no universal regulations governing adventure tourism or extreme sports. Some established activities, like skydiving, mountain climbing, diving and rafting, have developed internal best practices over the years and formed trade associations after generations of trial and error.

The degree of danger depends on the activity. Hiking and cycling, two of the most common travel activities, according to Stowell, carry fewer risks compared to extreme sports like rope-jumping and skydiving, where the slightest error could end in death.

But the adventure travel industry continues to rake in big bucks. According to a recent global market study by ATTA, the industry grew from $683 billion in 2017 to $1.16 trillion in 2024, with some 67% of international travelers “open to adventure.”

Trade associations are largely responsible for certifying and training operators, but joining them is not mandatory for businesses.

At Kapalua Ziplines in Maui, the decision to join the Association for Challenge Course Technology came from owner Michael Binder’s experience dealing with the Federal Aviation Administration, said Finch, the general manager. Binder is a licensed pilot and has spent years ensuring that his license and aviation business are properly accredited. He and Finch jumped at the opportunity to do the same for Kapalua Ziplines, Finch said.

“Safety and compliance was top priority,” she said. “Plus, it helps with insurance rates.”

Looking for — and creating — accountability

Three instructors were charged with homicide in Eduarda’s death and told investigators they could not remember who was responsible for checking her equipment. Police in Brazil said the men were not licensed to operate at the bridge, which has since been made inaccessible, according to officials in the city of Limeira.

In a statement, Limeira Mayor Murilo Félix said the federal government had neglected to maintain the bridge despite years of pleas from local authorities. In an updated statement, city officials said they have since met with federal representatives and are working together to cut off access to the eerily named Skeleton Bridge.

Rope-jumping itself, however, is not regulated by any legal authority in Brazil, O Globo reported . Instead, practitioners of the sport follow standard practices developed locally through associations. Operators are encouraged to follow safety guidelines outlined by general tourism and consumer laws and technical standards for equipment. Beyond that, operators need only to obtain a business permit, which can create a false sense of security, experts told O Globo.

According to local officials, the instructors charged in Eduarda’s death were not licensed to operate.

The same is true for most of the adventure and extreme sports industry.

On Maui, instructors at Kapalua Ziplines undergo strict training and safety checks enforced by the company itself. Instructors must check the “four H’s” before each launch — helmet, harness, hardware and heart rate — said Binder, the owner.

“We want to be able to sleep at night,” Finch said. “We’re taking our employees and guests and hanging them 200 feet in the air, taking them down a line that’s 2,000 feet long up to speeds of 55 miles an hour.”

Hawaii does not have any state regulations on zip-lining, according to the Association for Challenge Course Technology . Other states, like California, regulate zip lines similarly to amusement parks. California also requires operators to use specific equipment, like harnesses and brake systems, and mandates regular inspections to receive and maintain certificates of compliance.

“ACCT’s standards are developed by industry experts to promote best practices, but they are not government regulations,” the association said in an emailed statement. “While we encourage the adoption of these standards, we do not have the legal authority to enforce them.”

The future of adventure travel

Finch said she knows a couple who were severely injured in a zip-lining accident in Costa Rica. The wife crashed into her husband, who had become stuck partway down the line, because the operators did not use radios to communicate the locations of their clients.

“They spent weeks in the hospital,” Finch said. “We use radios, GPS trackers and check equipment each launch.”

Stowell said he tried rope-jumping once in Switzerland and quickly decided never to try it again.

“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done,” he said, adding that his fear surpassed multiple skydiving experiences. “You come out of the plane and everything is just so far below that your normal mind doesn’t even really have a way to categorize it, but on a canyon swing, you are headed towards those rocks.”

Stowell said the training he received before both skydiving and rope-jumping was rigorous. In Switzerland, rope-jump instructors double-checked equipment while people waited their turn in line. They checked it again when he stepped into his harness and then checked it again before he jumped. Even then, he instinctively grabbed the rope while he dangled in midair.

During skydiving lessons, Stowell said, instructors have warned participants not to joke around during training. He recalls one guide telling the group that the next 15 minutes of instruction would be among the most serious moments of their lives. They could save the laughing for when they landed safely, Stowell said.

According to the United States Parachute Association, its members made some 3.47 million skydives in 2025, with a total of 16 deaths. Despite inherent risks, the association said, the majority of fatalities are caused by human error, including waiting too long to deploy a parachute.

Jennifer Sharp, the USPA’s director of technology, was among those killed in the Missouri plane crash this month.

“Her unwavering commitment to advancing the sport, supporting our membership, and strengthening the organization was second to none,” the USPA said in an emailed statement. “She spent her career ensuring that our community stayed connected, safe, and forward-looking.”

The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Adventure tourism as a whole is moving away from risky activities and toward cultural and culinary experiences, Stowell said. Interest remains high in doing more than “flying and flopping on a beach,” and people are taking a “dim sum” approach to travel, trying more and smaller experiences rather than focusing on just one large activity.

“When I first started, the adventure industry was definitely viewed more as adrenaline-driven, and now it’s so much more people-interaction driven, cultural driven,” Stowell said. “Fewer people are signing up for the 25-day snowman trek in Bhutan, and more like, ‘I want to go to Catalonia, Spain, and I want to go hiking.’”