Bungee jumping is an extreme sport every adrenalin junkie needs to try once in their lifetime. But before you book your adventure, here are some interesting fact you probably didn’t know about this sport.
- Bungee, also spelled Bungy jumping got his name after the strong elastic cords that are used for securing luggage.
- The first jump similar to bungee jumping was done by young men on Pentecost Island in the Vanuatu Islands. They jumped off a wooden platform with their legs fastened to vines to prove their manhood.
- However, the true father of bungee jumping is a man named Alan John Hackett. He was an entrepreneur from New Zealand who developed the bungee cord in the 1980s.
- Bungee jumps are usually performed from objects that don’t move, on a very tall, vertical or horizontal object like mountains, bridges, and buildings. But a jump can also be done from an aircraft.
- The elastic rope is normally tied around the jumper’s legs, who also wears protective equipment that is similar to the protective equipment used in climbing.
- With its 233m height, the Macau Tower in China is the world’s highest and most impressive jumping site.
- The oldest person to perform a bungee jump was 96-years-old Mohr Keet who jumped from South Africa’s Bloukrans Bridge.
