Basin Head slackline walk draws online attention

Usually people are jumping off the wharf at Basin Head, but one Island man decided to walk across it on a slackline only centimetres wide and the video has been viewed more than 35,000 timeson Facebook.

Matthew DesRoches was recorded walking and at times wobbling the 10 or so metres between the two wharves.

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DesRoches said he was surprised the video drew so much attention, but noted "people appreciate little things like that around the Island because there's not much adventurous activity."

People appreciate little things like that around the Island because there's not much adventurous activity.- Matthew DesRoches

"There is no rock climbing and stuff here. It's kind of foreign to P.E.I., I guess," he said.

"I could see where the interest comes from compared to B.C. or California where this happens more often."

An official with the Department of Tourism said if slacklining does start happening more often at Basin Head, it will take the same stance it does on jumping off the wharf.

The province doesn't encourage or condone it, and there are signs warning people not to jump off the wharf. But it's hard to control or manage what people do there, especially when lifeguards are off duty, the official said.

DesRoches, 23, has already tried slacklining at Basin Head on two occasions. The first time a few weeks ago, he didn't make it across, so he returned on Saturday to "get revenge on the line."

This time, he was successful. He did it later in the day, he said, when he wouldn't interfere with the wharf jumpers.

"There still ended up being a crowd there anyway," he said. "People started to become fascinated with what was going on."

Now that he's conquered the Basin Head wharf, he said he's looking to do something even bigger.

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