They also didn’t tell Jackson that it might be the last month Salto del Maule would run in its current state. A major hydroelectric project just upstream is set to permanently redirect the Maule River through a different valley, turning the dam-controlled yet high-volume waterfall into a mere dribble.

Jackson has been kayaking since he was 2. His father, Eric Jackson, known as “E.J.”, is also a national kayaking champion and the founder of Jackson Kayaks, a kayak manufacturer. E.J. and his wife, Kristin, raised Dane and his sister, Emily, in an R.V., home-schooled them and spent countless days paddling rivers. Both E.J. and Dane suffer from severe hearing difficulties that require them to wear hearing aids.

“There are no disadvantages to being deaf in kayaking,” Dane said. “There’s an advantage because I can read lips from across the river, which is helpful if you’re trying to get information on something that’s coming up.”

Jackson still lives in an R.V. He spoke with the writer Andrew Bisharat last week about his Chilean adventure.

What is it like to go over a waterfall of this size?

I’ve been wanting to do this waterfall for so long that I was nervous, really scared above it, but I have been wanting to experience it for the last five years.

The view was super wild, with desert and cliffs everywhere, and more waterfalls downstream. It’s a very high-volume river, with a lot of power. More than anything, I was focused on what my kayak was doing. The first 10 to 20 feet are the most important and decide your outcome. The goal is to get your kayak as vertical as possible, because that’s the safest and softest way to land.