Bungee Jumping Vs. Skydiving

Bungee jumping and skydiving are two versions of the same thrill: you free fall through space, then a safety system kicks in before you experience impact with the Earth. Both have positives and negatives, depending on such factors as cost, convenience and how long you want the thrill to last.

  1. Safety

    • Both skydiving and bungee jumping are risky. Both can, and sometimes do, result in injury and death. In bungee jumping, a large part of the risk comes not from impact with the ground but from the sudden, jerking stop of the bungee cord. This can result in eye damage, whiplash and even quadriplegia from a broken neck. The primary safety concern with skydiving, of course, is a possible impact with the ground if the chute malfunctions. Some reported skydiving fatalities, however, appear to be suicides, a problem not generally associated with bungee jumping.

    Availability and Convenience

    • Another difference between bungee jumping and skydiving is availability. Skydiving requires an airport, an appropriate airplane, skydiving equipment and a suitable landing area. Bungee jumping is less limited in that, theoretically, any high structure (a crane, bridge or tower) that can support a bungee cord will do. In addition, novice skydivers are often required to skydive in tandem with an instructor on their first several jumps, whereas novice bungee jumpers usually go solo.

    Length of the Fall

    • Another consideration with respect to bungee jumping vs. skydiving is the length of the experience. Bungee jumping is usually limited to heights between 100 and 700 feet (depending on the height of the structure), whereas the free-fall time for skydiving is considerably longer. Skydivers also have a significant amount of time to drift down to Earth after their parachutes open, whereas bungee jumping is over after the initial free fall and a few bounces.

    Cost

    • Cost is also a consideration when comparing bungee jumping with skydiving. Purchasing or renting skydiving equipment, plus the costs for a pilot, a tandem jumper (for a novice) and an airplane can be quite expensive. Bungee jumping costs a good deal less.