JoJaffa goes Bungee Jumping

Why....bungee?

The feeling of standing on that platform, so close to the ground you can see every detail, yet high enough for the horizon to be many miles away. There's a rope tied to your feet and your head knows that to jump off is madness, your heart tells you to go for it.

Summon up enough courage and jump, drop like a stone and your fall will gradually be slowed by the cord until finally you stop falling down, the bungee recoils and you start to 'fall' upwards! Bounce a couple of times and come to rest, the crane lowers you to the ground having had the thrill of your life, and ready to do it all again.

Getting started

Bungee jumping is probably the easiest of all adrenaline sports to get started with, there is virtually no training required, just turn up at a site and get going. There are many travelling bungee experiences, but some of the best can be static cranes because they are often higher. Remember - the higher the crane, the longer you fall, the bigger the thrill.

Training normally only consists of an explanation of the procedure; you will be weighed, and the length of the bungee cord adjusted appropriately. A trained operator will attach the padded ankle straps, making sure they fastened correctly, you then step into the crane, accompanied by the operator, and are hoisted up and up. When the crane stops you turn to face outwards and quite simply just jump off.

Getting more out of....Bungee Jumping

Every jump is exciting, and you can make it more so by varying your repertoire with somersaults and other acrobatics, also try jumping from higher platforms or cranes.

Some sites have the facility to jump over, and with care, into water. You will drop further than normal, past the normal safety limit for jumping over dry land, past ground level where the crane is standing and down towards the surface of the water. If the cord length has been judged accurately you should enter the water head first, maybe down to your waist, before being thrown back into the air, dripping wet, as the elastic recoils.

Kit and caboodle

Spoil yourself

Travel the world and jump from more extreme places.

Try Goliath, the highest bungee jump in Canada, where you can fall 200 feet from a huge limestone rock that surrounds a deep, blue lagoon.

Or Costa Rica, where jumps are possible from a bridge rising 265 feet above tropical forest.

Or even jump from the bridge spanning Victoria Falls in Africa.

Open Outcry

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