Two Experienced BASE Jumpers Film Their Own Death As They Drowned After Leaping From Bridge

AN experienced BASE jumper drowned after leaping from a bridge in footage captured by an instructor, who died after hurling himself after her.

Mary Katherine "Katie" Connell is presumed dead after she went missing on Saturday morning.

The nurse, in her 20s, and the instructor both parachuted from Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur, California, US.

Now police say video from the instructor's GoPro helmet camera shows Katie plunging 300ft into Bixby Creek, which feeds into the Pacific Ocean.

Katie had completed around 300 jumps

Shortly after she lands, three large waves engulf her and she vanishes from view, presumably having been dragged out to sea.

Sheriff Steve Bernal said her companion, identified only as a Finnish BASE jumping expert, then leaped off the bridge to help her.

He said the man likely took off his helmet and parachute to rescue her, which is when the footage ends.

Search and rescue teams recovered the GoPo along with the man's helmet and parachute as they scoured the area to search for the two thrill seekers.

At the request of Katie's family the footage will not be released to the public.Tom Aiello, a friend of the pair, told a local radio station that both were experienced BASE jumpers.

While it is not illegal to jump from Bixby Creek Bridge, experts say it is particularly dangerous because it is a relatively quick drop.

Connell, a Tennessee native, lived and worked in Ventura. Sheriff Bernal said she had completed around 300 BASE jumps.

culled: The Sun