extreme sports, also known as action sports or alternative sports are sporting events or pursuits characterized by high speeds and high risk. The sports most commonly placed in this group are:

Typically, extreme sports operate outside traditional mainstream sports and are celebrated for their adrenaline-pumping thrills. Racing and acrobatic competitions for motorcycles and snowmobiles are also often classified as “extreme,” and the term can be stretched to include such daring pursuits as rock climbing and skydiving.

Wingsuit flying is a variation of sky diving in which the “pilot” or jumper wears a special suit that essentially makes them look like a flying squirrel. This specialized suit features “wings” along the side of the body and between the legs. The wings have air pockets that give the pilot more lift, allowing them to fall slower and control where they go with an amazing amount of precision.

Wingsuit flying can take place from a helicopter or off a base and some expert flyers get incredibly close to mountainsides and even cruise in a controlled free fall through ravines(râpe).

Like many of these top extreme sports, freediving is exactly what it sounds like – a diver goes down with no survival equipment other than flippers.

Now, this extreme sport may be more mainstream than others.

But unless you’ve swum with sharks in the waters off Palau, then this is an activity in a location you must experience.

Upon arriving at the remote archipelago in the Pacific, each guest has to sign a pledge to leave nothing but footprints. It’s a pledge that is ingrained in the local way of life.

Eighty percent of the water surrounding each majestic island is a protected marine sanctuary.

In fact, it’s recognized as one of the richest ecosystems on earth.

It helps to protect 700 types of coral and over 1,300 fish species. Several of which are sharks.

While there’s never a bad time to go diving in Palau, when it comes to sharks, travelers should arrive between November and April.

The best sites to see white and blacktip sharks along with grey reef sharks include Blue Corner, the German Channel, and the Deep South.