Bungee Jumping has its origins in the Gkol rite practised by the inhabitants of the
New Hebrides in the Pacific. The younger natives of this archipelago jumped from 25
metre-high cane towers with vine branches attaced to their ankles to prove they were
not cowards and had become fully-grown men. Many still mistakenly believe that bridges
are the only location in which you can practice Bungee Jumping, which is also known as Goming or Benji.

In fact, the most recondite precipices and spots of varying height are the favoured place of the bungee lovers: jumpers leap from heights of between 30 to 50 metres which are generally only accessible by means of cranes. When they are in the air they reach speeds of up to 60 km/h in the two seconds that each leap generally lasts.
When the rope reaches its end the breaking system is activated until the rope is fully stretched. But the adrenaline rush does not end there: for another 10 seconds, the time the rope takes to stop rebounding, the jumpers experience all sorts of pirouettes and acrobatic manoeuvres in the air.

An extreme but safe sport
Aficionados of this sport are usually aged between 20 and 30 years, although people of all ages are willing to experience the sense of vertigo offered by this activity. It goes without saying that anyone with heart or orthopaedic problems should not bungee jump.

Specialists in this sport never jump without the security of knowing that they are wearing the proper equipment that protects them from any muscular or bone injuries derived from a bad jump. They use a special harness, which is made to dampen the force of the fall, a specific device that prevents the cord from tangling up, fittings to control the fall and an elastic cord made of natural latex, zinc oxide and an ozone additive that is resistant to breakage, a cord that is naturally designed to support up to a ton in weight.

Practised the world over
The United States and Australia are the countries that pioneered Bungee Jumping some 10 years ago. It is also very popular in Europe as a whole, above all in France where in 1987 the first Bungee Centre was opened to the public.

One of the favourite countries of bungee jumpers is New Zealand, where the beautiful and spectacular scenery is an added attraction.
In Costa Rica, jumpers head for the bridge over the river Colorado to jump into a 300 foot ravine. Some even prefer to jump at a height of thousands of metres above sea level, such as the Swedish jumper Goran Wienby, who leaped from a balloon some 5,050 metres in the air to break a world record in this sport. 

In Spain it is still little known, but there are specialist meetings where jumpers can practise under the supervision of a monitor. This is the case of �rea Activa (Actividad A�rea S.L), the company that introduced the sport into Spain.