Bungee Jumping Information

Bungee jumping is recognized as an extreme sport where the participant free-falls from a platform, springing up and down from the tension of a cord suspended to a type of harness.

  1. History

    • Modern bungee jumping began in 1979 with the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club. A.J. Hackett opened the first commercial jump site in New Zealand in the late 1980s, after performing a jump off the Eiffel Tower.

    Equipment

    • To make a jump, you need a bungee cord, which is a rope made of natural rubber, a type of harness, and something to connect them such as a carabiner clip. Harness types depend on the nature of the jump and/or the preference of the person, and include the ankle harness, the body harness, and the climbing harness.

    Jump Types

    • Bungee jumping involves a number of techniques and set-ups. Some common jumps are the swan dive, or forward dive, the back dive, and the bat dive (hanging upside-down and dropped). The water touch-down is a popular addition, where the jump is calculated so that the jumper dips into the water without full submersion.

    Safety

    • Jumpers often use a combination of harnesses in order to distribute weight and to improve safety. Always double-check equipment and set-up--most accidents are due to human error. Don't use old equipment. Inexperienced jumpers should not attempt complicated jumps.

    Fun Fact

    • The origins of modern bungee jumping actually come from the ritual fertility rites of the vine jumpers of Vanuatu. Far before the invention of bungee jumping -- that is, with a bungee cord -- these people jumped from wet, elastic vines towards the softened ground below.