Video shows last moments of two parachutists, presumed dead after leaping off iconic California bridge

Two Base jumpers are presumed to have drowned after leaping off the iconic Bixby Bridge in Big Sur, California, last week, sheriff’s officials said, after watching video of the pair.

The bodies of Mary Katherine Connell of Ventura, California, and an unidentified man from Finland remain missing, according to John Thornburg, spokesman for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.

The pair are believed to have been overpowered by tumultuous surf shortly after landing on a small beach below Pacific Coast Highway last Wednesday.

Authorities only learned of the jumpers’ fate Sunday, when they recovered a parachute and helmet camera on the beach, and then watched the recording.

The video, which authorities have not released, shows the pair discussing plans to jump off the scenic bridge along California State Route 1, Thornburg said on Tuesday.

The recording shows Connell leaping off the bridge first and cheering with excitement. She then lands safely 100 metres below, but is knocked over by a wave. As she struggles with her parachute in the surf, she is hit by two more sets of waves and pulled out to sea, according to authorities.