I’ve already mentioned my birthday bungee jump a couple of times (see posts here and here), but it’s taken me more than a month to edit the video footage from the GoPro camera I wore during the jump. I’m finally ready to tell the story.
I jumped from the Bloukrans River Bridge, on the border of South Africa’s Eastern Cape and the Western Cape provinces. Bloukrans is a bit more than an hour’s drive from Knysna, where I stayed during the Knysna Oyster Festival. The bridge is 216 meters (709 feet) high. I can’t believe I jumped from that seemingly tiny space at the top of the arch.
The Bloukrans River bungee jump is run by Face Adrenelin and is the highest commercial bungee jump in the world. There are higher places in the world to bungee-jump (see list here) but apparently the other places aren’t commercial, whatever that means.
At any rate, I don’t see myself doing any non-commercial bungees so I’m pretty sure this is the highest bridge I’ll ever jump off of.
I didn’t have much time to psychologically prepare for the jump, which was a good thing. I mentioned off-hand that I might like to do it and somehow, a little more than 12 hours later, I found myself in the car on the way to Bloukrans. I had never bungee-jumped before, nor had I even seriously considered it.
Pre-jump phone selfie.
Here’s how it works: You arrive, sign a few forms, pay, and then step on a scale. The Face Adrenelin guy writes your weight on a your hand (!), and you walk to a small pavilion to get outfitted with a complicated set of straps and harnesses. Then you troop down to the bridge with a group of 10 or 12 jumpers (along with friends and family who want to watch but not jump) and walk out to the platform.
Walkway to the platform.
Instagram I shot on the way to the platform.
View from the bridge.
I don’t remember much about what happened once we reached the platform. I guess I was too nervous to notice anything.
I was the third person in my group to jump.
This is my friend Mark jumping. In reality he jumped after me. But I’m trying to build suspense.
I think my video tells the rest of the story.
Before you watch the video, here are a few tips/observations:
1) If you’re wearing a scarf, remove it before bungee-jumping. This may seem like an obvious tip but you’d be surprised how many obvious things one neglects to consider before diving off a very high bridge.
2) Your feet are strapped together before you jump and this is rather uncomfortable.
3) Jumping off a bridge is hard. (Again: Obvious.) As I stood on that ledge, every cell in my body begged me not to jump and I had to willfully disobey all 37 trillion of those cells. The moment after I jumped was the purest moment of sheer terror that I have ever felt. It was also curiously awesome.
4) I nearly cried for joy when a guy appeared out of thin air to haul me up to the bridge after my jump. That’s because for the final 20 seconds that I was hanging there, I felt certain that my feet would slip out of their straps and I would plunge 50 meters into the river. Apparently it’s common to feel this way even though there is virtually no chance of it happening. And afterward someone reminded me that I had another strap around my shoulders as a backup. If I ever do this again I’m going to comfort myself with these reminders during the jump.
5) My video editing is extremely poor but I personally think the amateurish quality enhances the video’s effectiveness.
Here it is:
2Summers Bloukrans Bungee Jump from Heather Mason on Vimeo.
Despite the sheer terror, I really loved this. Maybe I’ll do it again when I turn 80.
Wow! Triple wow! A thousand wows. Wowee! etc. etc.
THat’s what I thought too.
Hi Heather!
What a way to celebrate your 40th Birthday! Thank you for sharing this video. I was excited and scared watching it and know that I will never bungee jump. You are and your blogs are fantastic! best always, Mary ( former teammate Angels 3rd base woman)
Mary! So great to hear from you and thanks for the comment. I hope all is well with you and Dean. I can totally see you bungee jumping though — are you sure you aren’t up for it? 🙂
Heather, I was screaming with you. Wow. All I have to say is, “Better you than me!” OMG
Hahahaha, thanks.
Awesome!
Dots.
Whoooo!, I near crushed my mouse here on the computer watching this! I could feel the fright! Congratulations on you’re survival, and your birthday! M 🙂
Thanks. I’m glad you felt the fright too 🙂
Awesome video, you are much braver than me !
You are braver than me. Well done, awesome vid. Note to self. If I ever decide to do it, don’t wear a scarf.
Yes, that’s very important.
Wow!! I would never do that. Your pretty brave.
Thanks 🙂
That was freaking awesome! I want to do that someday! I think if I do my husband will have a heart attack, but it’s either that or go skydiving! 😉 Happy birthday to you! What a way to celebrate!
Haha, thanks. I’m glad I’ve inspired you.
Woooow! Not sure I’ll ever be brave enough to try that (maybe skydiving?). But something about hanging upside down after the jump doesn’t really appeal to me. Glad you had fun!
I actually felt the same way as you before, and originally I was supposed to go skydiving that day. But the skydiving plan didn’t work out and I felt like I HAD to do something exciting to celebrate my birthday. And the bungee jump turned out to be great. Funny how life works.
wow! I loved the look on your face! And I loved seeing those guys again – fond memories:-)
Glad I could take you back.
Wow!!!
OMG, Wow!!
Haha. I know.
Hi! I got sick and had to wait for a while to get to my usual net surfing and finally found this in my backlog! Thanks for letting me be a part of your jump because from the sounds of it, I’ll never do it myself! Watching your face was enough fun, and oddly enough I got the impression the worst part was actually afterwards when you were waiting to get pulled back to solid ground (bridge). I kept wondering what you were seeing.
Haha Eugenia, yes you’re totally right. The last part was the scariest. I wasn’t seeing much, to be honest, because I was fighting the feeling that my feet were slipping out of the straps. That part was the only part that really wasn’t pleasant! Anyway I’m glad you enjoyed the video and I hope you’re feeling better 🙂