Bungee jumping is an ill-advised sport for the faint hearted. You might be surprised that though a lot of people take the initiative to try it out, most back down just before the jump. Free falling from a really high place with gravity working against you is one of the scenarios most people consider to be their worst nightmare. But if can overcome your fear enough to take that first jump, you will find that bungee jumping is one of the most adrenalin heightening extreme sports you may come across. Once you get a taste of that rush of adrenalin you will find yourself coming back for more, like a lot of people do.
Most of you may be familiar with the concept but still here are the highlights. First a long, extremely strong and stretchy cord is tied around the jumper’s ankle, who leaps off of the jumping point. While falling freely the cords reaches its maximum stretching capacity and jerks the jumper back up and fall again. The process continues until the jumper stops bouncing to just dangle in midair. Bouncing up and down might seem nauseating but it’s really exhilarating.
Bungee jumping requires no skill or experience. Just scream your head off on your way down and have a good time doing it. Of all the different type of extreme sports that are out there bungee jumping has the least number of accidents though it seems to be dangerous. Most people feel apprehensive about two things. First, the rope might snap on them. This is highly unlikely since, to ensure your safety, all commercial bungee jumping cords are strictly quality tested. Secondly, they might swing back and hit the wall behind them. The bungee jumping operator by extending the bungee jumping platform away from the cliff has already taken care of this probability. However, you need to exercise extreme caution and stay away from the cliff if you are not enlisting professional help.
Bungee jumping is not without its risks despite all the precautions taken. Although the chances of equipment failure are low, during the actual fall there are a lot of things that can go wrong. One who doesn’t have a lot of limber can easily end up pulling a muscle or dislocating something because of the successive jerking that occurs after the first fall. Many instances of eye injury while bungee jumping have also been reported.
Across the world there are lots of places where you can bungee jump. You will find a bungee jumping platform wherever you can find a canyon, bridge, or dam that gives more than a few 100 feet of height. The Bungee Tower in Cairns, the Verzasca Dam in Switzerland and the highest one of all, the Macau Tower in China are some of the most famous bungee jumping points in the world. You are provided with professional, commercial help in getting your equipment on and your form perfected at these places.
Due to its nature, bungee jumping does not offer a lot of chances of competition though there are a few areas within the sport that offer some competition, acrobatics being one of them. Judging bungee jumpers based on the moves that they could pull off while on air, is the core substance of a few specialized competitions.
Bungee jumping starts your adrenaline pumping just by the mere thought of it. It will definitely be your cup of tea if you are one of those people who love to take part in new and exciting extreme sports.