Bungee jumping, broken down in simple terms, is where you jump off something really high with a big ass piece of elastic tied round your feet.
There are loads of places to do it worldwide and include jumps off cranes, bridges and even out of hot air balloons to name but a few.
Bungee jumping is a great adrenaline activity that leaves you buzzing for a long time afterwards.
The bungee cord which you put your trust in is either a factory-produced braided shock cord that has many latex strands within its tough outer cover or an unbraided cord which gives you a gental slow down and lots of bounce.
So don’t worry these things can take a lot more weight than one person bouncing on the end of it
Even though the cord is attached to your ankles it is also attached to a body harness much like the ones used in rock climbing for extra safety.
The weight restrictions vary between different companies. But if you weight to height ratio is about right you shouldn’t have a problem.
The minimum age limit is 14 and under 16 need parental consent. Over 50’s need a doctors certificate.
The people of Pentecost Island in the South Pacific have been land jumping for hundreds of years as part of an ancient tradition.
During the 70s, some students of Oxford University formed a group called the Dangerous Sports Club. They were some of the first people to test several of what we now call “extreme sports”.
On April 1st 1979 some members of the group jumped off of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England. They were attached to the bridge by an elastic cord and bungee jumping was born. Their jump made the World’s press and the group made the headlines again when they performed the same jump off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
A.J. Hackett, a snowboarder and skier from New Zealand, heard about this group and performed his first bungee jump in 1986 from the Greenhithe Bridge and went on to develop a super-stretchy elastic bungee cord with the help of Scientists at Auckland University. He demonstrated its use by throwing himself off the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1987.
He decided to make the sport into a business, collaborating with his friend, Henry van Asch, a skiing expert.
Hackett is reknowned for his many bungy stunts that have earned him Guinness records and personal milestones, including:
1988: Jumping off the Auckland Stock Exchange Tower, claiming the title as being the world's first Bungy off a building
1990: Jumping 380 meters out of a helicopter for the first time
2000: Jumping off the Royal Gorge Bridge, also known as the highest suspension bridge in the world
2006: Opening and jumping out of the Macau Tower in China measuring 233 meters above ground and holding the title as the highest sky jump
2007: Opening and jumping out of the Macau Tower in China measuring 233 meters above ground and holding the title as the highest commercial Bungy
2007: Doubling the previous record of 700 meters out of a helicopter with 1,499.6 meters in Malaysia with his new Bungy technology allowing Bungy stretches of over 1 kilometer
Bungee jumping was treated as a novelty activity during its early years, then became a craze for young people, and is now a well established industry for thrill seekers
Where to go/cost and equipment
Where
Check outwww.ukbungee.co.uk for the very best and biggest jumps. They host loads of events all year round in the UK and don’t forget to tell them where you heard about it!
Cost
Jumps vary in price depending on height and location so they can be anything from £35.00 upwards.
Equipment
All the equipment you need will be provided for you at an organised event so the only thing you need to take is yourself.
