Top 5 Bungee Jumps On Earth!

As one of the more life-threatening goals on my Bucket List it was only a matter of time before I did a bungee jump. It was a wierdly sunny day (great timing) in October last year, that myself and my friend Adam had booked to do our bungee jump just outside Bray in Windsor (UK) - this one is the highest bungee in the UK and I figured if I was gonna risk my life, I might as well do it right!

We pulled up to the location in the taxi and everything went quiet for a second as we beheld what we were about to throw ourselves off. Surprisingly, considering this was not his first, my mate was more aprehensive than I was, the shakes overtook him and everything - I guess he knew what was coming up whereas I was somewhat blissfully ignorant of the impending task! We got weighed, signed in, and harnessed up in the few months prior to jumping, in which time I saw possibly the ONLY thing that could have steadied my nerves and I was so thankful for. I watched a lady, I would guess to be aged around 60 jumped as if it was as common as putting the washing out. She didn't even bat an eyelid, flail or anything! I figured if she can do it with that much composure, I CAN DO THIS! I instantly settled...if only for the duration of going up in the crane. Unfortunately there is nothing that will dampen the sense of adrenaline you get standing on the platform with your toes hanging off the edge. At this point, it will go one of two ways;

1. Wrapping your limbs around the nearest pole / bench / instructor, clearly stating that you will not be releasing your grip until no more than 3ft above Earth or...

2. Stare death in the face, smile and launch yourself forwards, whilst simultaneously trying to pose for the camera 300ft below.

Thankfully the less-rational part of my brain took over at that point and before I knew it I was hurtling through the air like a cruise missile. I have to be honest that much of the jump from this point was a blur. I remember my eyes watering, vague pleading inside my head for the harness not to slip off and the sense of weightlessness at the peak of each bouceback. At some point during this jump I reasoned with myself that this will not be the last. I want to do more. Bigger and better. And that is why I have written about this topic. I was curious as to how far some people go to get their adrenaline fix so if you share my curiosity, please continue reading...

At a mere 192m (630ft) high the Europabrücke Bridge was Europe's highest from 1963 until 2004. The bridge supports the Brenner Autobahn which connects Austria and Italy across the Alps. Your admiration of the Alpine backdrop will be cut short as you hear the inevitable 3...2...1... and you hurl yourself off the launch platform situated just below the bridge.

Cost: Around $175

Excitement Factor: 3 / 5

Review:
Coming Soon

Next up is the Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa, billed as the world's highest single span arch bridge and a jumping height of 216m (708ft). It held the record for being the highest commercial bungee jump for some years after being opened in 1997. As you say your final prayers, you are led along the custom made gangway running underneath and parallel to the road surface towards the peak of the arch before launching yourself towards the Bloukrans River flowing below.

Cost: $90

Excitement Factor: 4 / 5

Review:
Coming Soon

Possibly the most famous bungee jump location in the world thanks to its appearance in the opening sequence of the 007 film 'Goldeneye', The Verzasca hydroelectric dam soars 220m (720ft) above Lago di Vogorno, holding back the water forming the reservoir.

Cost: $265-280

Excitement Factor: 5 / 5

Fun Fact #1: The James Bond stunt was voted "the greatest movie stunt in history"

Fun Fact #2: The highest bungee jump in the world from solid ground

Fun Fact #3: The oldest person to take this jump so far is 78 years old!

Review:
Coming Soon

Famed as the 11th highest building in the world at 338 meters to its highest point, the Macau (Sky) Tower in China is officially the highest public bungee jumping location in the world! (The Royal George Suspension Bridge in America is not open to the public, though people have jumped off it in the past. Keep reading for more information). The bungee jump itself is 233m which equates to 6 full seconds of free-fall followed by another 4 seconds as the bungee rope stretches to full length (around 200m which means you can get as close to 30m from the ground!) and then you ping back again. The bungee cord itself is tethered so there is no danger of swinging and hitting the tower in high winds.

This is an extreme thrill of unprecidented levels and people from all over the world flock to Macau to experience the "highest commercial bungee jump on Planet Earth" which also attracts experience-seeking back-packers in their droves.

Cost: $250

Excitement Factor: 5 / 5

Fun Fact #1: The Macau Tower Bungee was authenticated as the world's highest commercial bungee jump by the Guinness Book of Records in December 2006.

At 1053 ft above the River Arkansas is the world's highest Suspension Bridge. the only vehicles permitted over are those belonging to the company who operate the bridge. The bridge is longer than it is high at around 1233ft and 18ft wide and the surface is constructed with wooden planks so the fact that you can see through the gaps and that it sways in the wind just adds to the aprehension of the jump!

Cost: N/A

Excitement Factor: *Off The Scale*

Very few people have ever done this jump and most of those belong to the AJ Hackett Bungee Jump company. However I found this account written by a guy who did the jump in an effort to face his fear of heights, written in a very engaging way. Read his story here: Royal Gorge Bridge Bungee Jump

Fun Fact #1: The original cost to build the bridge was $350,000 in 1929, but it would cost $20,000,000 to build the same bridge today.

Fun Fact #2: Construction took only six months.

Fun Fact #3: There is little danger of the bridge collapsing from too much weight, as it will support 2,000,000 pounds (900,000+ Kilos)

Highest Bungee Jump Ever Recorded
Curtis Rivers (UK) performed a bungee jump from a hot air balloon at 4,632 m (15,200 ft) over Puertollano, Spain, on 5 May 2002 - thus achieving the highest altitude bungee jump.

Most Bungee Jumps In One Hour (20m Bungee Cord Or More)
Veronica Dean (South Africa) performed 19 bungee jumps in one hour at Bloukrans River Bridge, South Africa, on 9 May 2003.

Highest Bungee Jump (Tandem)
Grant Denyer (Australia) and AJ Hackett (New Zealand) bungee jumped from a helicopter hovering at 300 m (984 ft) above the water near Bondi Beach, NSW, Australia, on 11 November 2005. The cord stretched to 250 m (820 ft) during the attempt.

Highest Bungee Jump From A Building
The highest bungee jump from a building is 199 m (652 ft 10 in) and was achieved by A.J. Hackett (New Zealand) who leaped off a platform at 233 m (764 ft 5 in) on the Macau Tower, Macau, China, on 17 December 2006.

All records information taken from Guinness World Records

Bungee jumping is, by it's nature, a dangerous sport. There is no denying that fact. However, modern manufacturing methods and safety practices have made the sport much safer over the past decade. It is certainly safer than the land diving of the South Pacific natives. Unfortunately, even with all of these advances in the sport, bungee jumping accidents still occur. In this article we will examine what can happen as a result of bungee jumping.

The most severe bungee jumping accidents can actually be fatal. Most of the fatalities that have occurred in bungee jumping occur as a result of head trauma. Miscalculation of the length of bungee cord necessary to complete the jump safely has resulted in several deaths since the sport became a public phenomenon in the late 1970s. One of the most infamous deaths from bungee jumping occurred during practice for the half-time show of Superbowl XXXI, in 1997. Laura Patterson, who was practicing with members of her professional team, died upon impact when she jumped from the top level of the Louisianna Superdome. The accident was blamed on the bungee cords being handled incorrectly. The half-time show was subsequently cancelled, and a tribute to Laura was performed instead. Other deaths have resulted from people actually coming loose from the ankle harness. This has led to the common practice of using a body harness as a back-up safety precaution.

Bungee jumping enthusiasts will be quick to point out, however, that there are only a handful of deaths from among millions of jumps that have been performed over the last few decades. Even though this is true, there are many other types of bungee jumping accidents that can occur if strict safety guidelines are not followed. Rope burn, pinched fingers and bruises are among the most common injuries suffered from bungee jumping. While these may not be attributable to actual bungee jumping accidents, they can be considered an adverse side-effect by most people.

More serious than sprains and bruises are the possibilities of other bungee jumping accidents, such as severe eye trauma, dislocation, back injury, and even broken bones. These are not highly publicized events, but they do occur nonetheless. In the case of the eye trauma, increased pressure in the eye an cause a blood vessel to burst near the retina. This results in blurred vision or loss of eyesight completely. Although it sounds horrific, this is only temporary, until the body repairs the damage done. Of more concern would be back injuries and broken bones. In the case of back injuries, a dislocation or strain on the spine can cause a lifetime of pain and suffering. That is something to take into account when weighing the risks of bungee jumping.

Bungee jumping accidents do occur, but they can be minimized by following established safety procedures. It is up to you to ask the right questions. It is up to the commercial company or club to ensure they have the right equipment and trained operators. Bungee jumping can be fun, and does not have to involve serious injury if done correctly by trained operators and jumpers.

Original Article written by Elmo Kandel

A Bungee Joke
Two guys decide to set up a bungee jumping business on a cliff over the town of Guaymas, Spain. Well, the first time one took a practice jump, he went over fine, but when he sprang back up he was all covered in scratches. His friend obviously freaked out, but the guy went back down before he could help him. When he flew back, the scratches has progressed to bruises, but his friend on top again couldn't catch him. Finally, on the third spring back, his friend nabbed him. He was covered in open, bleeding wounds.

"What happened?" his friend asks him. "Was the cord too long?'

"No, the cord was fine," the leaper said. "It was terrible. There were these gangs down there and they were scream- ing and yelling and every time I'd get to the end of the cord, they'd hit me with sticks."

"What were they screaming?" his friend asked.

"I don't know, I could only make out one word. What's a pinata, anyway?"

Courtesy of Gail D. Haberman at www.bungeezone.com

A Funny Bungee Story
This story apparently featured in an issue of The Guadian newspaper in Nov 6th, 1993

A FRIEND of a friend was cajoled, against his better judgment, into going bungee jumping with colleagues from work. They were all there, including one notoriously macho show-off scaffolder, built like a brick outhouse and a real action man. No challenge was too much for him: windsurfing, free-fall parachuting, mountain surfing - he'd even done the Cresta Run on a hot water bottle.

The bungee ropes were suspended from an immense crane over the local docks. A lift took them up the tower to the gantry and, as luck would have it, the nervous rookie got paired off with Mr Macho and his bragging motormouth. His ludicrous chat about how he'd seen it all before irked the instructor and his worried mate alike. At the top, the gloater stepped out on to the crane arm, smirking and leering at his friends below. Then the instructor shouted, "Go!" and the loudmouth leapt forward. But the instructor made as if to grab him , yelling: "Not you - I haven't tied you on properly yet!" Of course, this wasn't at all true; just the callous instructor's bowel-loosening joke to bring the braggart back down to earth.