The inspiration for bungee jumping came from Pentecost Island, one of the many islands that comprise the nation of Vanuatu, which lies between Australia and Fiji. A local legend says that many years ago, in order to escape her abusive husband, a woman leapt from a tall tree, but only after tying vines around her legs. She went sproing, while her abuser went splat. While the tale is likely apocryphal, this triumph over domestic abuse became a yearly ritual. At first, the women jumped to commemorate her bravery, but then the men took over to prove that they were very sorry about the abuse, and because it looked like a lot of fun. Probably. It logically follows that this ritual is also meant to bring a good yam harvest. So, to be clear: you’re jumping for thrills, while they jump for penance. And yams. (Get an excellent first person account from National Geographic)
This activity was discovered by some chaps in England who belonged to The Dangerous Sports Club, which was totally a real thing. Seriously. After some high profile jumps, Bungee was picked up and made way, way safer by some other chaps in New Zealand in the 1980s. As a result, you can now throw yourself off structures all over the world.
How To:
To find a jump near you, use your favorite search engine to look for bungee and the state you live in, until we build up our database, of course. However, it is not recommended you use the phrase, ‘I want to jump off of a nearby bridge’. Big Brother might be watching, and that phrase could raise some red flags. For some of the highest, most scenic, and all around AWESOME jumps in the world, check out our list below.
Gear:
Bungee Cord: Hundreds of strands of rubber ensure that no catastrophic failure will ruin your already nerve-racking experience. Modern bungee cords are able to stretch 2-4 times their own length after your initial fall. The length of the ropes carried by individual bungee operators will depend on just how far away the ground is, duh. And it’s width will be based on your jump weight. Typically you’ll notice the guys in charge using different ropes for different people depending on the weight that got written on your hand. Unless you’re not paying attention to anything other than the voices inside your head ‘Am I really about to do this? What if I back out now, I can back out now, I’m going to back out now. NO, you can do this. This is crazy!’ Your turn. ‘Shit’
Harness: Typically you’ll have some nylon webbing strapped around your ankles, occasionally with towels used as padding, as your primary point of attachment. Although occasionally you will have a waist harness similar to what you would use to rock climb instead. Many companies are starting to use both, which makes for a fun jump and a comfortable ride back up to whatever you were crazy enough to just dive off of. Make sure you feel comfortable before that leap of faith and feel free to ask the employees as many questions as you need to feel comfortable, they’ve heard them all before and are there to reassure you.
Top Jumps:
Macau Tower, China
Verzasca Dam, Switzerland
Bloukrans Bridge, South Africa
Kawarau Bridge, New Zealand
Europabrücke Bridge, Austria
The Last Resort, Nepal
Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe
New Zealand
Macao
South Africa
Switzerland
United States