Today we planned to do a hike and then ventured towards the Bloukrans Bridge where Sami planned to do the World's Highest Bungee Jump! As it turned out, we headed to the bridge first (Gen's idea, in an effort to dissuade Sami from doing the jump). Watching thrill-seekers jump from this bridge - 216 meters high (over 700 feet) - was nothing short of breath-taking, and certainly worked Sami up a bit.
Undeterred, Sami decided he was going to jump now rather than later. Gen signed up for a bridge walk so that she could join him on the ledge of the bridge.
We headed to the jump-off point with five jumpers and three bridge walkers. Sami was the first to jump. After saying adieu to Gen and the cameras (a personal video DVD was also offered after your jump), Sami approached the ledge and looked down to the water 700 feet below. The staff counted down "4, 3, 2, 1, BUNGEE!!!!" and Sami jumped, legs tied together and arms flung out to the side, screaming the whole way down!
After a 4-5 second free-fall, he bounced up and down mid-air and finally stopped to enjoy the incredible view of the gorge and the Bloukrans river- albeit upside down. After a few very awkward but peaceful moments, a staff member came down on a cable and propped Sami upwards and they were both lifted back up onto the bridge.
Apparently Gen's heart had stopped briefly when Sami had jumped off the bridge, legs shaking (S: Love you sweety!). Sami felt exhilarated, tears streaming from his eyes and his heart pumping hard. We watched as the other jumpers did the same. One of the jumpers was a Danish girl who was quite sure that the bungee cord would not keep her from hitting the bottom, which, of course it did. However, she came back up in shock and it took her a while before she shook it off and started talking again.
Gen meanwhile was quiet the whole time, having been quite nervous during the extremely scary bridge walk. The bridge walk was a very narrow and rickety passageway under the bridge with open fencing on the floor so you could see straight down to the bottom. Somehow, Gen started to get the feeling that she should do the jump too. Sami told her "Gen, I would prefer that you don't do it, but if you think you will regret it later, I think you should do it. The Big Swing was scarier because you go down backwards, while this is more exciting because you can see yourself rushing to the bottom. I wouldn't tell you to do it if I didn't think you could." It became clear that she wanted to do it but needed that extra push, which Sami provided. Sami also decided to do the jump again after Gen, but this time backwards.
Gen meanwhile was quiet the whole time, having been quite nervous during the extremely scary bridge walk. The bridge walk was a very narrow and rickety passageway under the bridge with open fencing on the floor so you could see straight down to the bottom. Somehow, Gen started to get the feeling that she should do the jump too. Sami told her "Gen, I would prefer that you don't do it, but if you think you will regret it later, I think you should do it. The Big Swing was scarier because you go down backwards, while this is more exciting because you can see yourself rushing to the bottom. I wouldn't tell you to do it if I didn't think you could." It became clear that she wanted to do it but needed that extra push, which Sami provided. Sami also decided to do the jump again after Gen, but this time backwards.
Gen's entire body was shaking when they fitted her with the harness. As she approached the ledge she started pushing back against the staff that were holding her up. They had to push her forward so that she wouldn't fall backwards onto the ledge, and Gen, full of nerves, took this as the sign to jump, not even hearing the countdown!
She screamed the whole way down (as most do) and came back up with a huge smile (and body still shaking from head to toe!). She was quite happy she did it, and agreed that the Big Swing was scarier because of the way we had to fall backwards.
Sami then jumped off the ledge backwards, which was certainly scarier but mostly because you lose your sense of direction as you are falling downwards!
After all the jumps and the bridge walk back to reception, we hit the shop to buy a shirt and pick up our photos and DVDs of the jumps.
Afterwards we checked into the Wild Spirit Lodge in The Crags, where we reunited randomly with Mirella from Lindwalla Lodge in Swaziland! The Wild Spirit Lodge is absolutely gorgeous, with scenery and decor that take you back to Middle Earth and the fantasy world of elves and hobbits. There is even a rogue horse that roams the grounds, and as we relaxed in the dining area, the horse walked up the porch steps and watched us from the open door!
During dinner with the other guests we learned that there had been an accident on the Big Swing two weeks ago (three weeks after we did it). An investigation is still underway, but apparently one of the staff had released a cable (the one that is used to lower the jumpers onto the landing deck at the bottom) too quickly, which sent a tandem-jumping couple straight to the bottom, killing the wife on impact and badly injuring the husband. This was a big shock to hear, and we were extremely grateful that our experiences on the Big Swing and the Bloukrans Bridge Jump went in absolute safety. The rest of the night was spent in quiet reflection, but it's important to note that the Big Swing had never had an accident in 8 years of operation (reportedly 60,000 jumps) and the Bloukrans Bridge jump continues with a perfect safety record after 10 years. The chances of accidents on most of these types of activities are often far less than the chance of say, an automobile accident.
We also discussed the great white shark dive activities that are available in the area, and apparently toasters kill ten times as many people per year as sharks! Also meaning that toasters likely kill more people than bungee jumps do per year. And yet, people don't think twice about putting their bread in a toaster but freak out over jumping off a bridge or swimming with great white sharks... Strange, right?
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