Where To Bungee Jump

Bungee jumping has taken the extreme sports world by storm. Over the last few decades, millions of people have completed successful jumps. So now, it is your turn. You are getting ready to jump and you are excited. But where do you jump from? What are your options when it comes to the location? In real estate, it is always said that the most important thing is 'location, location, location'. Is this true about bungee jumping as well? Let's take a look at some of the options for where to bungee jump, and how the jumps are completed in these environments. This will help you to make an informed decision when you get ready to take the big dive.

Probably the most common place to bungee jump from is the crane. In this scenario, a crane is used with a cage on the end. The cage is lowered to the ground, and the jumper is prepared, rigged up, and attached to the bungee cord. The bungee cord is then attached to the cage. The jumper is then raised up to the jump height using the crane. Often times the jump master will hold the coiled cords to prevent them from tangling up during the jump. Once the cage reaches the jump height, the jumper jumps from the cage, bouncing at the end of the jump. Upon completion of the jump, once the jumper is no longer bouncing, the cage is slowly lowered to the ground. The ground crew is prepared to catch the jumper as he is lowered and safely remove him from his harness. Once the jumper has cleared the platform, the bungee cords are recoiled and everything is inspected and prepared for the next jump participant.

So where else can you bungee jump? Another prime location for a bungee jump is from a bridge. Many successful jumps have been done from a variety of bridge types as well. When jumping from a bridge, the jump team usually assembles a platform for the jumper to jump from. The jumper is then harnessed up, and attached to the bungee cords. The cords are then anchored to the bridge. Once everything is ready, the jumper jumps off the platform. A variation of this allows the jumper to jump from the rail of the bridge as well. The jumper will bounce around 2-4 times before coming to a stop. At this point the jump crew will usually lower down a secondary static line. When the jumper clips this line to their harness, it is then used to pull the jumper back onto the bridge. This is the safest recovery method used to get the jumper from the bottom jump position. Another method that is sometimes used is to pull the bungee cord up enough to un-hook it from the bridge, and then use the cord to lower the jumper to the ground.

In addition to these tried and true places for bungee jumping, there is no end to the quest for where to bungee jump. In the progression of this modern extreme sport, bungee jumping is taking place from buildings, towers, cable cars, hot air balloons, and even cable cars. There is no end in sight to the locations that will be explored in the bungee jumping adventure.

The History of Bungee Jumping

The history of bungee jumping goes back many hundreds, if not thousands of years. Coming from another culture in a land that time seems to have forgotten, we find an ancient ritual called 'naghol' or land diving. It is an intriguing story with some elements of mystery, religion, and adventure. Let's take a closer look at the history of bungee jumping.

Examining the history of bungee jumping takes us to a small island in the South Pacific named Pentecost Island, one of 83 islands that make up the country of Vanuatu. Pentecost Island was discovered in 1768 by French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville during his voyage to circumnavigate the globe. It was not named, however, until sighted by the infamous Captain Cook in 1774. The name came as a result of the day on which Cook spotted the island, which was the Christian holy day of Pentecost. During the history of bungee jumping, many Christian missionaries have attempted to change the culture of the inhabitants of Pentecost Island. However, even though most of the inhabitants of the island profess Christianity today, their ancient culture and rituals remain strong. Bungee jumping is one such ritual.

The history of bungee jumping goes back to ancient times and beliefs about pleasing the gods in order to get good crops. The yam harvest is the principle event around which the naghol, the ancient predecessor of bungee jumping, takes place. The natives believed that if your jump was acceptable that the gods would grant you a good harvest. It is also a ceremony which marks the right of passage from a boy's youth to manhood. They believed that the males who jump (it was only males, by the way), should not have sex the evening before their jump, and should wear no 'good luck charms'. Either of these was said to produce a bad jump. On an island without a hospital of any kind, any injury can become life threatening. Indeed, the history of bungee jumping has some very strange roots.

While examining the history of bungee jumping, it is intriguing to see how these ancient people practice this religious ceremony. Prior to the jump day, a wooden tower is built that is some seventy feet in height. Latched together with vines and no modern construction methods, it appears to be far from stable. To reduce the swaying of the tower from the wind, vines are used like guy wires. Groups of 20 or so men participate in the land diving ceremony. As the young men would jump, their mothers would toss an object from their childhood to the earth, symbolizing their transition from a child to a man.

While the ancient history of bungee jumping is still shrouded in some mystery, we do know where the modern activity originated. It is a wonder that this practice remained isolated to the South Pacific after the discovery from the European explorers. Only in the 20th century has this ancient ritual been promoted to the world as a new sport. The history of bungee jumping will never be the same.

Types of Bungee Jumping

There are five major types of bungee jumping. Everyone knows the first type of bungee jumping. This is the plain old bungee jump (if there ever was such a thing). Based on the natives from Pentecost Island in the South Pacific, this is where you jump off from a platform or other tall object. Attached either through a let harness or body harness to a bungee cord or cords, you propel toward the earth. Once the cord(s) reach their maximum elasticity, you would rebound a few times. Typical jumpers experience about 2 to 4 rebounds, giving them the feeling of weightlessness.

The second type of bungee jumping is called 'the catapult', 'reverse bungee', or 'bungee rocket'. In this version of the bungee jump, you start on the ground and propel upwards. You are actually attached to the ground using a variety of methods. Once the bungee cord is stretched and ready, you are released. This has the effect of shooting the jumper upwards into the air. There is some danger in this method of jumping however. The bungee cord has a tendancy to pull the jumper towards the object it is anchored to. In the case of the 'catapult' jump, it is usually a lift crane. The danger is that you could hit the crane on the initial pull upwards. Of course, after the initial rocket upwards, the jump is much like the normal bungee jump.

The third type of bungee jumping is called the 'twin towers'. This type of bungee jump has solved the collision issue created with the 'catapult'. In this version of the bungee jump, there are two towers or cranes with bungee cords attached to the jumper. These are set some distance apart, with the jumper in the middle. This has the effect of shooting the jumper straight up, since they are pulling simultaneously. This eliminates the issue for potentially hitting the platform or crane. Some commercial outfits use a metal cage with this type of operation. However, this does require a bit more calculations, as the added weight of the cage will increase the need for more bungee cords.

The fourth type of bungee jumping is called the 'bungee run'. However, as the name implies, it really doesn't involve any jumping at all. This type of bungee activity usually takes place down an inflatable runway. The object is for the runner to get as far as possible before the bungee cord pulls them back toward the anchor point. Competitions are actually held in this variation of the bungee sport.

The fifth type of bungee jumping is called the 'bungee trampoline'. This variation involves the use of a trampoline, in conjunction with poles and bungee cords. The jumper starts jumping on the trampoline, in a body harness, attached to bungee cords. The cords are attached to poles on the sides of the trampoline. As the jumper gets up higher and higher, the cords are tightened. Using this method, the jumper is able to go higher than they normally would with just the trampoline alone.

As you can see there are many types of bungee jumping in the modern bungee jumping movement. These are but a few of the more well-known examples. The future is sure to bring about even more variations of this extreme sport.

The Discovery Of Bungee Jumping

The discovery of bungee jumping may have taken place back in the 1700s by European explorers, but it was not until the 20th century that bungee jumping really made waves around the world. The current public awareness and concept of bungee jumping stems from a BBC documentary that aired during the 1950s on the topic of the land divers from Pentecost Island in the South Pacific. This documentary really brought the subject to public masses for the first time since the discovery of bungee jumping several hundred years ago.

It was Sir David Attenborough (one of the BBC's best known broadcasters and writers) and his crew that recorded the first film footage of the land divers, or bungee jumpers from the island of Penetecost in the 1950s. The discovery of bungee jumping was so intriguing and original, that it sparked quite an interest in the modern western world. Most people had never seen anything quite like it, much less ever attempted such a feat. Seeing the young natives jump from seventy foot stick towers and hurl themselves at the ground was shocking. The fact that they were tethered to the tower with a jungle vine was almost unbelievable.

Because of the impressive nature of this primitive form of bungee jumping, the American show 'That's Incredible!' (which ran on the American Broadcasting Network from 1980-84) actually sponsored a jump from the Royal Gorge bridge. They filmed the event and aired it on their television show, which could be considered one of the original 'reality TV' shows of our times. In addition, an extreme sports group based on Oxford and London called 'The Dangerous Sports Club' began to practice the new sport of bungee jumping. Inspired by the BBC documentary, this group is credited with the first modern bungee jump. The jump took place in Bristol, England, from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in April of 1979. These events catapulted the discovery of bungee jumping into the full attention of the mainstream media and the public's eye.

Within a few short years, the world would see an onslaught of bungee jumping enthusiasts and clubs to cater to the excitement of this new and dangerous sport. Modern commercial bungee jumping operators perform and provide jumping services from a variety of mobile cranes, hot air balloons, bridges and other types of structures. Commercial operators utilize the most advanced techniques and equipment to ensure safety of their patrons. Despite the intrinsic danger involved, insurance companies now provide liability coverage for such endeavors, as there have been few fatalities overall.

Since the modern discovery of bungee jumping, millions of people world-wide have taken the plunge into this extreme sport. There have been many safety standards and strict guidelines set up to protect the public from injury as much as possible. Many permanent bungee jumping sites have even been set up. The first such site was set up at the Kawarau Bridge in New Zealand. It can truly be said that the discovery of bungee jumping has brought an ancient religious ritual into the forefront of the extreme sports culture of the 21st century, and surely beyond.

Ways To Bungee Jump

There are many ways to bungee jump. While this extreme sport has one main method, there are many varieties that have come to life in the past decade of this international sport. As the old adage goes, 'variety is the spice of life'. This is true even in the already spicy endeavor of bungee jumping.

The variety in bungee jumping usually comes from the position in which you perform the jump, how you are tethered, and any 'tricks' you may attempt to perform during the jump or the rebound. First, let's take a look at the different methods of being tethered, and see what impact that has on your jump.

The most common attachment method is the use of a body harness. The body harness attaches to your body near the center of gravity, or your belly button. One effect of this type of tethering is that it makes it easier to perform flips and spins. Leg harness or ankle harnesses are another way of attaching to the bungee cord. This type of tethering allows for more of the free fall feeling that is traditional with bungee jumping. It is strictly based on the example of the land divers in the South Pacific. Just these two different ways to bungee jump have a vast impact on the performance of the jump and the sensations afforded the jumper. The other variations basically depend on your position when you jump. We will examine a few of these ways to bungee jump in greater detail here.

The position that comes highly recommended is called the Swallow Dive. Just as it sounds, your flight downward will resemble the dive of the bird. Initiated by taking a 'flying leap' away from the platform, the body forms the shape of a bird with the arms outstretched like a bird's wings.

Another way to bungee jump is called the Bat Drop. In this position, you are held in place upside down. This is achieved either with the help of the jump crew, or by suspending by your toes off the platform. The effect is less wind resistance, and you drop like a rock on this one.

The most common way to bungee jump when jumping off of a bridge is to do the Rail Jump. This is very basic, and consists of balancing on the rail of the bridge prior to jumping. Again, some of the jump crew will usually assist in helping you balance on the rail. This seems to actually be easier than climbing over the rail in order to jump.

Another way to bungee jump that is gaining in popularity today is the tandem jump. In this variation, two jumpers take the plunge together. It is somewhat dangerous, as bumping heads at the bottom can be unpleasant, to say the least. The jumpers are actually tethered together, so they are both committed to the jump.

Keep in mind, however, that this is by no means a complete list. There are many more ways to bungee jump that what are mentioned here. As the future of this sport appeals to more people with advanced safety methods, there are sure to be more ways to bungee jump developed.