Lysanne Richard cancels helicopter dive into Quebec lake

Lysanne Richard poses next to a helicopter. The Montreal diver will try to break the world record for women for diving from a helicopter into water. (Submitted photo)

Thrillseeking diver Lysanne Richard had to call off her attempt to set a new world record Friday due to stormy weather in southern Quebec.

The competitive cliff diver from Montreal had set out to break the record for the highest dive from a helicopter and plunge into Lake Memphremagog, in Quebec's Eastern Townships.

Just before the event was to be livestreamed on social media at 7:30 p.m., her team announced in a post on her Facebook page that the high winds and a risk of a thunderstorm made it unsafe to proceed.

"She's very disappointed, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that it's a raincheck," the post said.

At the time the dive was cancelled, the Lake Memphremagog area was under a severe thunderstorm watch issued by Environment Canada.

It's something Richard had said she wanted to do for years.

"I love people and my dives bring out the emotions in the public. It's a great moment in my career when I'll be surrounded by a crowd, and that motivates me to no end. A lot of work has been done by an incredible team to make this dive happen, and I'd like to thank them very much. I can say that I'm really excited," said Lysanne Richard in a message on her website before the cancellation.

Richard did not announce when the event would be rescheduled.

The current record for a woman is 14 metres from a helicopter, but a spokesperson said she was going to attempt to reach 20 or 25 metres on Friday.

John Bream, an ex-paratrooper, set the men's world record for diving from a helicopter in 2020.

Richard is no stranger to going to great heights to make a splash.

In 2021, she and her diving partner Yves Milord both set a world record for a synchronized high dive from two hot air balloons flying about 25 metres in the air.

The jump was the equivalent of diving from an eight-storey building.