An extreme sports influencer had a miraculous escape after going into a terrifying “death spin” during a botched parachute jump.
Wangzai said he believed he was about to die as he spiralled uncontrollably towards the ground.
The Chinese daredevil – who has more than 6.5 million followers – was sent spinning after a mid-air collision during the jump.
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In a desperate bid to survive, he realised he was heading towards a lake and braced himself for impact.
Amazingly, he survived the plunge unscathed.
“Fortunately, I fell into the lake, which is quite large,” Wangzai told Need To Know.
“The water level was just up to my neck, if it had been any deeper, it would have been more dangerous.”
The experienced skydiver, who has completed more than 300 jumps and holds a USPA Class C licence, had chosen not to wear a helmet camera.
Instead, he hired several camera people to film him mid-air.
But the stunt went badly wrong.
He had planned to deploy his parachute at around 6,000 feet, while the photographers were due to open theirs at around 4,000 feet.
However, one cameraman opened too early and collided with Wangzai mid-fall.
The photographer’s foot struck his main chute at just over 5,000 feet – flipping him upside down and tangling his legs in the cords.
He then went into a violent spin.
Wangzai said: “I couldn’t straighten my head, the force was like a speeding rollercoaster.”
He tried to cut the cords and deploy his reserve chute – but it also became tangled and only partially opened.
He said: “I was spinning around and struggling for about 2,000 feet.
“I started replaying memories like a slideshow, thinking about how my family would react and how they would handle my funeral arrangements.”
As he hurtled downwards, he spotted a lake below and saw a slim chance of survival.
He streamlined his body and plunged into the water.
Incredibly, he remained conscious and escaped without serious injury.
Two fishermen who witnessed the incident pulled him from the lake.
The jump took place in Thailand and was shared online on Monday (30 March), where it quickly racked up more than a million views.
Wangzai later admitted the ordeal left him shaken.
He said for days afterwards he felt like he “was already dead but my soul was still in the world”.
Despite the trauma, he has vowed to continue skydiving – and still regularly shares extreme sports content with his millions of followers.
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