2. Bungee Jumping John Kikas G’72010-2011 English (Special English) Teacher: Mrs Eudhokia Anastasiou

3. Description  Bungee jumping is an activity that includes jumping from a tall structure i.e. from a bringe, and be connected from an elastic cord. It’s also possible to jump from a movable object like a helicopter that has the ability to hover above the ground. The adrenaline rush out when you fall and you are in the air. There are different variations like catapult, trampoline.

4. Where it first appeared?  It first appeared when David Attenborough and a BBC film crew brought back footage of the “land divers” which are also known as “Naghol”. Young men, from Pentecost island in Vanuatu, jumped from tall wooden platforms with their ankles tied up by vines. This was a test for them to show their courage and the passing into manhood. The first modern bungee jumping was performed by David Kirke, Chris Baker, Simon Keeling, Tim Hunt and Alan Weston of the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club in Bristol. It was 1 April 1979 and they jumped from Clifton Suspension Bridge. It was 76 meters high!

5. What equipment is needed?  The elastic rope first used in bungee jumping, and still used by many commercial operators, is factory- produced braided shock cord. This consists of many latex 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.  There may be a certain elegance in using only a simple ankle attachment, but accidents where participants became detached led many commercial operators to use a body harness, if only as a backup for an ankle attachment. Body harnesses generally derive from climbing equipment rather than parachute equipment.

6. What are the possible dangers?  Bungee jumping injuries may be divided into those that occur 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 elasticity is miscalculated, or the cord is not properly connected to the jump platform.  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. Impaired eyesight secondary to retinal haemorrhage may be transient. Very serious injury can also occur if the jumper's neck or body gets entangled in the cord. All of these injuries have occurred in fit and healthy people in their twenties and thirties.

7. Records  In August 2005, AJ Hackett added a SkyJump to theMacau Tower, making it the world's highest jump at 233 metres.  John Kockleman recorded a 670 m bungee jump from a hot air balloon in California in 1989.  In 1991 Andrew Salisbury jumped from 2,700 m from a helicopter over Cancun for a television program and with Reebok sponsorship.

8. Personal Thoughts  I’d love to try this extreme sport. It’s a very stimulating sport and you can get very excited and win all of your fears. I don’t recommend it for the fainted heart. But you must be cautious! So, have fun!

9. Source  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungee_jumping http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungee_jumping