‘Volcano Live!’: Nik Wallenda Successfully Completes Death-Defying Tightrope Walk

Nik Wallenda has successfully walked the tightrope — literally. The aerialist crossed above the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua on a high-wire Wednesday night, which was documented in the two-hour special Volcano Live! with Nik Wallenda that aired on ABC. The special poured over the details, from the environment to the construction of the actual tightrope.

Of course, it ended as he crossed the volcano, which took a little more than 30 minutes to complete and marked the first time in history a tightrope walk over an actual volcano had been attempted.

“Maybe it’s not where it needs to be, I don’t know,” Wallenda confessed prior to the walk itself. “Maybe it is,” he added, before detailing about the new slate of obstacles that a live volcano presents.

The special also detailed Wallenda’s training, which is always specific to the environment. To replicate the Masaya Volcano, he used a smoke machine to try and replicate the air. It also meant that he had to wear not just goggles, but a gas mask throughout the walk to avoid any of the number of poisonous gasses that seep out of the volcano itself.

He’d previously spoken to The Wrap about how the environment was a challenge unlike any he’d done prior, including The Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls.

“There’s a substance that comes out of the volcano from that lava that almost appears to be oily or greasy that could cause the wire to be slippery,” Wallenda said. “The gases that come out actually eat wire, eat metal. We left a piece of cable in the canyon for six months and it literally dissolved because of those gases. Having to train with an oxygen deprivation mask, training with an oxygen tank, extra weight on your back, that throws your equilibrium off. It’s bulkier, so in the wind, you’re not as aerodynamic.”

When speaking about the potential hazards, Wallenda stated simply that “It’s real.”

“I mean they’re all real, but this one is more real than anything I’ve ever done as far as the layers, again, of risk and danger.”

Wallenda also teased the historic event with a pair of photos on his Instagram on Wednesday, where he wrote in the caption simply, “Don’t look down.” Thankfully, it appears he was able to take his own advice.