Daredevil completes heart-stopping highwire walk across Ala Moana Hotel towers

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - This is one heart-stopping stunt you have to see to believe.

On Monday morning, daredevil Blake Wallenda ventured out onto a tightrope in blustery winds to complete a 200-foot-long skywalk between two Ala Moana Hotel towers ― 14 stories up.

The 31-year-old, wearing a blue shirt, pants and leather shoes, captivated a crowd below as he balanced on a tightrope the width of a nickel.

As his walk continued, the wind picked up but Wallenda kept his balance with a pole.

And in the last few yards of the tightrope, Wallenda dashed to the end ― and then turned around to wave at cheering spectators below.

“I feel great!” Wallenda said, after completing the stunt. “I wish I could have done more but the wind got pretty bad. I’m just glad it’s over with.”

Wallenda is a seventh generation highwire walker, and the Florida native says his family has been performing in circuses since the 1760s.

The Hawaii sky walk was his most daring act to date ― and a first in the islands.

Wallenda scouted the location for the first time Thursday afternoon with the hotel’s engineers, and says he always sets the high wire up himself.

If walking on a highwire with a 50-pound balance pole wasn’t hard enough, Wallenda also did a trick along the way ― balancing on one foot.

He said he would have done more if the wind wasn’t so strong.

While several of Wallenda’s family members have died performing on the wire, he says he refuses to use any safety gear because it creates a false sense of security.

He says he's confident in his abilities, and is excited to be sharing his gift with the Aloha State.

“I’m risking my life out there, but this is my culture, this is my life, my family has been doing this for over 200 years,” said Wallenda.

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