10 bungee jumping facts you didn’t know

Bungee Jumping is a thrilling and exciting adventure sport that is a must for all ages, but before you go on your adventure, here are some interesting facts you probably didn’t know about the sport you are about to venture into.

1. Bungee jumping got its name from the strong bungee cords commonly used to secure luggage.
2. The first activity similar to a bungy jump was carried out by young people from the island of Pentecost in the Vanuatu islands. These men would jump from wooden platforms with their legs tied to vines to validate their manhood.
3. April Fool’s Day 1979, Clifton Suspension Bridge: Unconventional Oxford students performed the first jump using nylon woven rubber bungee cords. Four members of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club who jumped off the bridge wearing top hats and tails were arrested immediately after the performance.
4. The highest commercial bungy jump was 233 m from the Macau Tower in China.
5. Carl Dionisio used condoms for his bungee cord when he performed the 100-foot feat in South Africa.
6. The oldest jump was made by Mohr Keet at the age of 96, on the Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa, 160m from the 216m high bridge. He said he tried it for “the thrill and to get rid of the fear.”
7. “Bungy” or “Bungee”? There are two spellings used for the sport of extreme activity. The word “Bungee” was what it was originally called when the English from Oxford started the sport. The term is also relevant to the use of bungee cords. These were a variety of rubberized strings, which are popular in North America. However, the sport became more popular in New Zealand and they spell it “Bungy”. In this country, all rubber cords that have no elongation limit are used.
8. The world’s first commercial location to experience the sport was in New Zealand, on the Kawarau Bridge, which stands 43 meters high. This is where AJ Hackett and Henry Van Ash got their start in the sport.
9. Alan John Hackett, a New Zealand businessman is the father of bungee jumping. He developed the bungy cable in the 1980s and launched his own AJ Hackett Bungy company.
10. The AJ Hackett Bungy on the Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown, New Zealand, opened in 1988 and became the world’s first commercial jumping site. With a height of 43 meters, it has the only bungy in the area where you can touch, swing or immerse yourself fully in the water. This site is also famous for its other tourist attractions and is a rich historical heritage.