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Bungee Jumping: A Fun Activity For Children And Adults

December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

01311789029_bungee.jpgOne not in the know would visualize a person aged between 17 to 30, buff and physically fit, as the one who frequents bungy jumping locations and engages in this one of a kind adventure sport. Contrary to most beliefs, bungy jumping is available to all ages. The main criteria for one to engage in this extreme sport, is that they meet the physical and health requirements. Simple logic would imply that children are not regular bungee jumpers, but then there are some isolated and special instances. The same goes for senior people. No one is too old, just probably not physically fit. This statement comes to truth as the oldest bungee jump ever recorded was a 96 year old man by the name of Mohr Keet.

Young children are not completely restricted as other forms of bungy jumping are available to them. Over the years since its discovery, bungy jumping has evolved into different kinds of activities mostly stemming from its main concept. Bungee trampoline is one of the inspired variations that is readily available to children from age 5.

It really doesn’t take that much to enjoy this sport. Whatever age you are, in whatever profession, social status, the first thing you have to consider before planning to do a jump is your current health standing. Next thing to consider is cost. Prices start off at $60 and go up to as high as $200 depending on the location and adventure package.

What also makes this sport great and easy for anyone to take part in is the little amount of training that is involved, apart from standard safety briefings, there is not much skill to it. You just stand on the platform and jump off with a cord attached to your ankles.

Bungee jumping is fun for all ages because of the adrenaline rush that is not easily duplicated. With the anxious climb, to the nerve wracking stand at the ledge, it is almost too scary of a feat to not want to do it! To onlookers, it seems to defy all logic and sense of being safe. Hurling yourself in an open free fall from 120 feet off a ledge, seems pretty insane and nothing that people in their right mind would actually consider doing.

But that’s just it! It’s the thrill of doing something you know is safe and extreme at the same time! The exhilarating feeling that bungee jumping gives is way beyond any age. Young or old, you will surely enjoy this one of a kind adrenalin rush and will surely come back for more!
 

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Bungee Jumping With a Gril

December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

11311788480_stacey2040.jpgAdventure Sports: Bungee Jumping
Bungee jumping is an adventurous sport where the participant jumps from a great height while he is connected to a large rubber rope. The jump can be made from the top of a tall building, bridge or crane. To bring in more adrenalin rush, jump can be made from a moving object like helicopter or a hot air balloon.
Bungee word was developed in 1930, which meant rubber eraser. The idea originated from dwellers of the Pentecost Island, who used to tie vines to their ankles and jumped from tall wooden platforms. The vine was substituted by elastic cord. Members of the Dangerous Sports club made the first official bungee jumping on April 1, 1979 from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. Initially they were arrested, but later on they appeared on television and jumped from many places including hot air balloon and mobile cranes, in 1982.
A J Hackett of New Zealand did the first commercial bungee jumping in 1986, from Auckland’s Greenhithe Bridge. After that he made numerous jumps from famous monuments like the Eiffel Tower. The first bungee jumping site was laid in Queenstown, New Zealand, on the Kawarau Bridge.
The rubber rope absorbs the complete energy of the fall and when the rope snaps back, the jumper flies in the upward direction.  The process of oscillation continues until all energy is utilized. The rubber rope is covered with cloth and has hooks on both the end. It is a specially designed braided shock cord. A tough outer cover encloses many latex strands. The function of the tough outer cover is to provide durability. Some consider using unbraided cords without the tough outer cover, which delivers a longer and softer bounce. Commercial operators are forced to use body harness to ensure safety in case of accidents.   
Variations to traditionally bungee jumping are catapult, twin tower, bungee running and bungee trampoline. In catapult, the jumper is placed on the ground and the cord is stretched, usually with the help of a crane, and then the jumper is released and he goes shooting up in the air. Twin towers employs two oblique cords. Bungee running, as the name suggests involves running and not jumping. The rope is attached to the participant and he runs as far as possible on an inflatable surface. The point maximum reached is marked with the help of a Velcro-backed marker, after which the runner gets pulled back to his initial position. Two or more people are involved in this and it is more like a running competition. Bungee Trampoline has a mix of bungee and trampolining. The body is fitted into a harness attached to a trampoline, which in turn is attached to a bungee. When the participant begins to jump he goes higher than a normal trampoline would.
Bungee jumping has been incorporated in many movies and video albums. The most famous of all is the James Bond movie, Golden Eye, which was released in 1995. The movie opens with Bond jumping from a dam in Russia. The jump was no special effect and was genuine.
Like other sports, bungee jumping has its share of possible injuries. The reason for most of them is human error, along with failure of safety harness, miscalculation of elasticity of the rope and improper connection of the cord. Possible injuries are body entangling with the rope, rope burn, dislocations, eye trauma, uterine prolapsed, back injury, pinched fingers and bruises. Jumper’s age, weight, experience, and location should be reviewed before the jump, as a safety measure.  
 

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Have You Always Wanted To Bungee Jump?

December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

21311789027_versasca.jpgThere are two types of people in this world- adventurous souls and non-adventurous beings. Some think that as soon as you reach the 20′s more people try more and more daring activities. Others say it’s something that happens when you realise life is passing you by and there’s so much to still experience.

It’s a debatable subject and opinions differ. When thinking of an adventurous activity to try, one of the first things that jump to mind is bungee jumping.

In South Africa, there are two popular bungee jumping bridges that attract hundreds of adventurous souls throughout the year- Gourits bridge and the Bloukrans Bridge.

Bloukrans bridge has been around since as early as 1989 and offers jumpers a 65m bridge.

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When most people think of training for volleyball they only think of the drills that you do with the volleyball but what about jumping? You need to train yourself to jump to higher if you want to be a better volleyball player. Don’t get me wrong, you still need to practice all of your other skills such as passing, setting and hitting. But one huge advantage to have over your competition is being able to jump higher than them.Not only can you expect to do normal bungee jumping, you can also make use of the Bridge Swing. Think of an exciting way to get off the platform and just do it! Whether you jump nose first, crawl off the platform or get pushed off, you will experience something out of the ordinary.

As your breath gets caught in your throat and adrenaline sings in your veins, you will swing to the opposite side of the bridge. You definitely can’t compare this experience to your playground swing now can you?

If you want to do the traditional bungee jumping and feel the true feel of the plunge, try bungee jumping off the 65m bridge. Not in your wildest dreams could you have ever imagined approaching water at this speed! Say hey to the Gourits River as your cord stretches and pulls while all your senses sizzle.
The other bungee jumping bridge is situated at the Tsitsikamma Forest Village Market, roundabout 40km from Plettenberg Bay- where you will find the “highest commercially operating Bungee in the World”.

The Bloukrans bungee jumping bridge is a gob-smacking 216-meter high! Yes, you heard right! You will have to get all your nerves together and make sure your heart is in a good condition, because this bridge will certainly test that adventurous soul of yours.

Because of the height of this bridge, they offer a few different options as to things to definitely try once you get to this bridge.

Obviously, they offer you a bungee jumping experience that you will never forget! Imagine what Zorro felt like when jumping off a moving train, now multiply that with 400 and you might just be able to compare the thrill of bungee jumping.

Apart from this, the Bloukrans bridge group also offers an activity called the “Flying Fox”. Now, don’t think just because this isn’t bungee, it’s not as exciting. You will rocket off a platform and swing / fly / soar for 200m to the archway of the bridge. Expect to feel feelings you’ve never experienced before!

If you are one of those who believe you haven’t lived till you’ve tried at least everything once, then the “Double Rush Adventure Combo” is just the thing for you!

The Double Rush Adventure Combo is a combination of the flying fox and the bungee jump. You will soar through the sky for 200m, preparing you for the 216m bungee jump.

Can you even imagine how you will feel after experiencing two pumping experiences after one another?

For those that can’t get the courage together, there’s the much easier on the heart Bridge Walking Tours. You can walk along the catwalk to the top of the arch where the adventurous jump from and you can watch as they plunge down.

Are you feeling excited yet? Do you want to look back one day and say that you really lived? Then bungee jumping is definitely something that should get jotted down on your to-do list!

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