BRIGHTON BUNGEE JUMPING 2015: A REVIEW
As a person who has been notoriously scared of heights throughout life (it was a struggle to make it to the top of the Eiffel tower age 15…), you can imagine the fear that immediately struck me at the suggestion of falling head first from a 160ft crane. However, as the newest member of the Extreme Element team, it was hardly a challenge I could turn down.
The UK Bungee Club had arrived on the sunny shores of Brighton and had certainly made their mark. A huge crane now towered over the seafront buildings and as I approached, I could see other jumpers being hoisted to the top, pausing for a moment, then plummeting to earth with nothing but a piece of rope attached to their ankles. This is where the fear really set in, that would be me in a matter of hours!
I took a deep breath and proceeded to meet my colleagues at the base of this enormous crane. The atmosphere was great, lots of spectators were there to wish their loved ones good luck and a real sense of excitement filled the air. Watching the process of the jumps from the bottom started to settle my nerves; everyone survived and looked as though that had thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
After signing a few forms with the friendly and reassuring UK Bungee Club team, it was time to be weighed (making sure the right bungee ropes were used) and sit in line and wait for my turn. The jump was imminent and I could feel the anxiety rising again… could I actually do this?! However there was no going back! The lovely crew members securely attached the bungee cord to my ankles, laughing and joking with me the whole time – I think they could tell I was nervous.
The time had come, it was my turn! I hopped toward the cage and sat, shaking, while we were raised up to 160ft. There were two crew members in the cage with me who could obviously tell how terrified I felt, describing me as ‘a definite screamer’. However, they did their best to distract me during our journey to the top and did a great job at calming and reassuring me that everything would be fine.
I looked out over the edge of the cage and Brighton beach sprawled out beneath me, this was it, I was about to fly! I creeped towards the edge and was instructed to put my hands together in the typical diving position. I felt a steadying hand on my back and heard a ‘3…2…1… Bungee!’ and before I knew it I was falling through the air. I just had time to register this and let out an extremely loud scream before I was caught by the bungee and was bouncing around over the crowd of people below me. This was, for me, the best part of the experience. It was so smooth – none of the jolting or uncomfortable snap from the cord that I had feared, just swinging in mid-air. It was absolutely incredible!
I was safely brought back to earth by the ground crew waiting for me and it was over. I was unclipped from my harness and I tottered over to collect my belongings. The adrenaline and sense of achievement was overwhelming, I was definitely on a high as I made my way home!
Bungee jumping was something I never thought I’d be able to do and I still can’t believe I actually did it. UK Bungee Club were absolutely amazing and took care of me every step of the way. Even if you think you wouldn’t be able to do it, I’d highly recommended taking the leap of faith, you certainly won’t regret it!
Take the experience yourself, here.
