Horrifying reality of what happens if women go on 'men's only' slide after champion diver learnt the hard way
A woman who believed staff at a European waterpark were being sexist for disallowing female visitors from using one particular slide received a life-threatening wake up call by taking the plunge herself.
Earlier this week, Australian professional diver Rhiannan Iffland was baffled to see a sign in Austria's Area 47 waterpark, describing a 50mph slide as 'men's only'.
Being that she'd only ever seen visitor restrictions based on weight or height, she was initially under the impression that the park's management team were acting misogynistic by only allowing men to ride.
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And hoping to alert her social media followers to the absurdity, the award-winning dare-devil set up a camera and subsequently filmed herself travelling down the staggeringly high slide.
Within a matter of seconds, however, Rhiannan realised she'd made a terrible mistake, with the reality finally dawning on her that the restriction had been implemented to prevent women from suffering one particularly stomach-churning health issue.
It turns out that, in recent years, there have been reports of women having their insides 'ripped apart' by high-speed water slides.
According to the National Library of Medicine in the US, women can sustain horrific injuries if high-pressure water enters their body, while there is also a risk of infections due to the foreign bodies found in the water.
But by the time that sportswoman Rhiannon learned of his unnerving truth, it was too late, and in the video - which has since gone viral online - the diver could be heard letting out a blood-curdling scream.
After the shaken-up athlete clambered off the slide, she immediately insisted in conversation with news.com.au: "It was never my intent to mock the safety regulations of this water slide.
"A person’s safety is paramount and I am constantly weighing up any danger with my job. To suggest otherwise, is wrong."
Area 47 water park has since informed Tyla that they never intended to create a slide exclusively for men to use and that, following the facility's opening between 2009 and 2010, it was accessible for women.
"However, in the second year, we noticed a significant increase in accidents on this slide, which required us to take action," their new statement reads.
"We consulted with doctors, authorities, and the manufacturer of the slide. This led to a difficult decision: either disassemble the water slide or restrict its use to men only, as it stands now.
"Our highest priority is ensuring the safety and happiness of all our guests, regardless of gender.
After Rhiannan shared the hotly-debated clip to social media in the hours that followed - not only to show off the extent of her bravery, but to raise awareness of her mistake - many viewers took to the comments to share their own water park horror stories.
One in particular admitted: "Unfortunately I got a water slide enema. Peed out half the swimming pool in the toilet from my behind. I literally couldn’t stand upright after it happened."
Rhianna Benson