Bungee jumping (/ˈbʌndʒi/), also spelledbungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a largeelastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a bridge across a deepravine, or on a natural geographic feature such as a cliff. It is also possible to jump from a type ofaircraft that has the ability to hover above the ground, such as ahot-air-balloon orhelicopter. Thethrill comes from thefree-falling and the rebound.[1] When the person jumps, thecord stretches and the jumper flies upwards again as the cord recoils, and continues to oscillate up and down until all thekinetic energy is dissipated.
The word "bungee" originates fromWest Country dialect of the English language, meaning "anything thick and squat", as defined by James Jennings in his book "Observations of Some of the Dialects in The West of England" published 1825. In 1928, the word started to be used for a rubbereraser.[2][failed verification]
TheOxford English Dictionary records early use of the phrase in 1938 relating tolaunching ofgliders using an elasticated cord, and also as "a long nylon-cased rubber band used for securing luggage".[3]
Land diving is a rite of passage for boys of the South Pacific island ofPentecost
Theland diving (Sa:Gol) ofPentecost Island inVanuatu is an ancient ritual in which young men jump from tall wooden platforms with vines tied to their ankles as a test of their courage and passage into manhood. Unlike in modern bungee-jumping, land-divers intentionally hit the ground, but the vines absorb sufficient force to make the impact non-lethal.[4][5] The land-diving ritual on Pentecost has been claimed as an inspiration byA. J. Hackett, prompting calls from the islanders' representatives for compensation for what they view as theunauthorised appropriation of their cultural property.[6]
A tower 1,200 metres (4,000 ft) high with a system to drop a "car" suspended by a cable of "best rubber" was proposed for the Chicago World Fair, 1892–1893. The car, seating about two hundred people, would have been shoved from a platform on the tower and then would have bounced to a stop. The designer engineer suggested that for safety the ground below "be covered with eight feet of feather bedding". The proposal was declined by the Fair's organizers.[7]
In 1963, Jim Tyson, aSydney, Australiacommando, slid down acatenary rope, from a cliff, across a Sydney-area river, braking with carpet, releasing mid-river, and swimming to an accessible river bank.[8]
The first modern bungee jumps were made on 1 April 1979 from the 76-metre (250 ft)Clifton Suspension Bridge inBristol, England, by David Kirke[9] and Simon Keeling,[10] members of theOxford UniversityDangerous Sports Club,[11] andGeoff Tabin,[12] a professional climber who tied the ropes for the jump.[13] The students had come up with the idea after discussing the "vine jumping" ritual ofVanuatu.[12] The jumpers were arrested shortly after, but continued with jumps in the US from theGolden Gate Bridge[14] and theRoyal Gorge Bridge. The last jump was sponsored by and televised on the American programmeThat's Incredible, spreading the concept worldwide. By 1982, Kirk and Keelling were jumping from mobile cranes and hot air balloons.[10]
Colorado climbers Mike Munger and Charlie Fowler may have bungee-jumped earlier in Eldorado Springs, CO in 1977. Both were cutting-edge alpinists, preparing for a trip to Monte Fitzroy in Patagonia by simulating long falls onto a springy, 46-metre (150 ft) nylon climbing rope. They scrambled up to a large tree at the top of the 210 m (700 ft) wall, above a severely overhanging climb appropriately named "Diving Board", and tied one end of the rope into the tree. With a piece of flat seat belt webbing around his waist and some homemade leg loops, Mike tied into the other end of the rope and, after no small amount of trepidation, he jumped. He then ascended the rope mechanically to the tree and untied, and then tied in and jumped. The total fall was about 40 m (130 ft).[15]
Organised commercial[16] bungee jumping began with the New Zealander,A. J. Hackett, who made his first jump fromAuckland'sGreenhithe Bridge in 1986.[17] During the following years, Hackett performed a number of jumps from bridges and other structures (including theEiffel Tower), building public interest in the sport, and opening the world's first permanent commercial bungee site, the Kawarau Bridge Bungy at theKawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge nearQueenstown in theSouth Island of New Zealand.[18] Hackett remains one of the largest commercial operators, with concerns in several countries.[citation needed]
Several million successful jumps have taken place since 1980. This safety record is attributable to bungee operators rigorously conforming to standards and guidelines governing jumps, such as double checking calculations and fittings for every jump.[citation needed] As with any sport, injuries can still occur (see below), and there have been fatalities. A relatively common mistake in fatality cases is to use a cord that is too long. The cord should be substantially shorter than the height of thejumping platform to allow it room to stretch. When the cord becomes taut and then is stretched, the tension in the cord progressively increases, building up itspotential energy. Initially the tension is less than the jumper's weight and the jumper continues to accelerate downwards. At some point, the tension equals the jumper's weight and the acceleration is temporarily zero. With further stretching, the jumper has an increasing upward acceleration and at some point has zero vertical velocity before recoiling upward.[citation needed]
TheBloukrans River Bridge was the first bridge to be used as a bungee jump launch spot in Africa when Face Adrenalin introduced bungee jumping to the African continent in 1990.Bloukrans Bridge Bungy has been operated commercially by Face Adrenalin since 1997, and is the highest commercial bridge bungee in the world.[19]
In 2008, Carl Dionisio of Durban performed a 30 meter bungee jump attached to a cord made of 18,500 condoms.[20]He currently runs the only Ocean Touch bungee jump in the World at Calheta Beach in Madeira, Portugal, and claims to be the only person operating in the bungee industry single-handed. He holds the world record for being the only person to bungee jump while driving a tower crane at the same time, something that he has done hundreds of times since 2017.[21]
Bungee Jump inNormandy, France (Souleuvre Viaduct)A steel cage platform used for lifting it with amobile crane. In the center of the base, a 15 cm wide hole with rounded plastic rim is provided to guide the bungee rope during the jump.
The elastic rope first used in bungee jumping, and still used by many commercial operators, is factory-produced braided shock cord. This specialbungee cord consists of manylatex strands enclosed in a tough outer cover. The outer cover may be applied when the latex is pre-stressed, so that the cord's resistance to extension is already significant at the cord's natural length. This gives a harder, sharper bounce. The braided cover also provides significant durability benefits. Other operators, includingA. J. Hackett and mostsouthern-hemisphere operators, use unbraided cords with exposed latex strands. These give a softer, longer bounce and can be home-produced.
Accidents where participants became detached led many commercial operators to use abody harness, if only as a backup for an ankle attachment. Body harnesses generally derive from climbing equipment rather than parachute equipment.
Looking down from atop the Verzasca Dam bungee tower nearLocarno inTicino, Switzerland
Milad tower bungee jumping with a height of 280 meters is the highest jumping platform in the world
In August 2005, AJ Hackett added a SkyJump to theMacau Tower, making it the world's highest jump at 233 metres (764 ft).[22] The SkyJump did not qualify as the world's highestbungee as it is not strictly speaking a bungee jump, but instead what is referred to as a 'Decelerator-Descent' jump, using a steel cable and decelerator system, rather than an elastic rope. On 17 December 2006, the Macau Tower started operating a proper bungee jump, which became the "Highest Commercial Bungee Jump in the World" according to the Guinness Book of Records. The Macau Tower Bungy has a "Guide cable" system that limits swing (the jump is very close to the structure of the tower itself) but does not have any effect on the speed of descent, so this still qualifies the jump for the World Record.
Kushma Bungee Jump is the world's second-highest bungee jump with a height of 228 metres (748 ft).[23] It is located in the gorge of Kaligandaki River and world-first natural canyon bungee jump. Another commercial bungee jump currently in operation is just 13 metres (43 ft) smaller, at 220 metres (720 ft). This jump, made without guide ropes, is from the top of theVerzasca Dam near Locarno, Switzerland. It appears in the opening scene of theJames Bond filmGoldenEye. The 216-metre (709 ft)Bloukrans Bridge Bungy in South Africa and theVerzasca Dam jumps are pure freefall swinging bungee from a single cord.
Guinness only records jumps from fixed objects to guarantee the accuracy of the measurement. John Kockleman however recorded a 670-metre (2,200 ft) bungee jump from a hot air balloon in California in 1989. In 1991 Andrew Salisbury jumped from 2,700 metres (9,000 ft) from a helicopter over Cancun for a television program and with Reebok sponsorship. The full stretch was recorded at 962 metres (3,157 ft). He landed safely under parachute.
One commercial jump higher than all others is at theRoyal Gorge Bridge in Colorado. The height of the platform is 321 metres (1,053 ft). However, this jump is rarely available, as part of the Royal Gorge Go Fast Games—first in 2005, then again in 2007. Previous to this the record was held in West Virginia, USA, by New Zealander Chris Allum, who bungee jumped 251 metres (823 ft) from the New River Gorge Bridge on "Bridge Day" 1992 to set a world's record for the longest bungee jump from a fixed structure.[24]
Bungee jumping from theSouleuvre Viaduct in NormandySCAD dive system rigged on a crane
In "Catapult" (Reverse Bungee or Bungee Rocket), the jumper starts on the ground.[25] The jumper is secured and the cord is stretched, then released and shooting the jumper up into the air. This is often achieved using either a crane or a hoist attached to a (semi-)perma structure. This simplifies the action of stretching the cord and later lowering the participant to the ground.
"Bungee Trampoline" uses elements from bungee and trampolining. The participant begins on a trampoline and is fitted into a body harness, which is attached via bungee cords to two high poles on either side of the trampoline. As they begin to jump, the bungee cords are tightened, allowing a higher jump than could normally be made from atrampoline alone.
"Bungee Running" involves no jumping as such. It merely consists of, as the name suggests, running along a track (often inflatable) with a bungee cord attached. One often has a velcro-backed marker that marks how far the runner got before the bungee cord pulled back. This activity can often be found at fairs and carnivals and is often most popular with children.
Bungee jumping off a ramp. Two rubber cords – the "bungees" – are tied around the participant's waist to a harness. Those bungee cords are linked to steel cables along which they can slide due to stainless pulleys. The participants bicycle, sled or ski before jumping.
SCAD diving (Suspended Catch Air Device) is similar to bungee jumping in that the participant is dropped from a height, but in this variation there is no cord; instead the participant free-falls into a net. Untrained SCAD divers use a special free fall harness to ensure the correct falling position. Free-style SCAD divers do not use harnesses. The landing into the huge airtube framed net is extremely soft and forgiving. The SCAD was invented by MONTIC Hamburg, Germany in 1997.[26][27]
Bungee jumping injuries may be divided into those that occur after jumping secondary to equipment mishap or tragic accident, and those that occur regardless of safety measures.
In the first instance, injury can happen if the safety harness fails, the cord length is miscalculated,[28] or the cord is not properly connected to the jump platform. In 1986, a man died during rehearsals fora bungee jumping stunt on a BBC television programme, because the cord sprang loose from acarabiner clip.
Injuries that occur despite safety measures generally relate to the abrupt rise in upper body intravascular pressure during bungee cord recoil. Eyesight damage is the most frequently reported complication.[29][30][31][32][33] Impaired eyesight secondary to retinal haemorrhage may be transient[31] or take several weeks to resolve.[34] In one case, a 26-year-old woman's eyesight was still impaired after 7 months.[35] Whiplash injuries may occur as the jumper is jolted on the bungee cord and in at least one case, this has led to quadriplegia secondary to a broken neck. Very serious injury can also occur if the jumper's neck or body gets entangled in the cord.[36] More recently,carotid artery dissection leading to a type of stroke after bungee jumping has also been described.[37]
In the filmGoldenEye and its associated videogame, James Bond makes a jump over the edge of a dam in Russia (in reality the dam is in Switzerland:Verzasca Dam, and the jump was genuine, not an animated special effect). The jump in the dam later makes an appearance as a Roadblock task in the14th season of the reality competition seriesThe Amazing Race.
InValiant (comics) #171 (January 8, 1966), the two boys from Worrag island in "The Wild Wonders" in a circus story, jump from high up and seem ready to crash to their deaths, but are stopped by elasticated ropes tied to an ankle of each one.
In the video gameAero the Acro-Bat, Aero will perform bungee jumping to obtain items like keys to open gates in a level.[38]
^Eric Larson, 2003 p135,The Devil in the White City; Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. CitingChicago Tribune, 9 November 1889.
^Krott R, Mietz H, Krieglstein GK. Orbital emphysema as a complication of bungee jumping. Medical Science Sports Exercise 1997;29:850–2.
^Vanderford L, Meyers M. Injuries and bungee jumping. Sports Medicine 1995;20:name="ReferenceB">van Rens E. Traumatic ocular haemorrhage related to bungee jumping. Br J Ophthalmol 1994;78:948
^abChan J. Ophthalmic complications after bungee jumping. Br J Ophthalmol 1994;78:239
^Filipe JA, Pinto AM, Rosas V, et al. Retinal complications after bungee jumping. Int Ophthalmol 1994–95;18:359–60
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