A paraglider has taken the term "living on the edge" to a new level after he was left hanging onto a cliff near Sydney for several hours due to a crash caused by a change in the wind.
Rohith Gowda, 37, was on his 100 th flight at Bald Hill lookout on Sunday but the milestone quickly turned to a nightmare after he crashed seconds after takeoff.
Gowda fell 50 metres to a cliff face below, leaving him clinging on to shrubs with nothing but a 150m drop directly below him.
A three-hour rescue mission soon ensued to save Gowda with special operations paramedic Oliver Alemin the first to reach him.
"He did have all his safety equipment on which saved his life – but the fact he was so high up," Mr Alemin told Nine News.
"He was just shaken up and in pain actually."
Gowda was winched to safety and taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital with a fractured pelvis – as well as a recording of the incident caught on camera.
Gowda told Nine News he wanted to thank emergency services for their prompt response and despite the scare he has plans to fly again soon.
SHARE ME