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Bungee jumping facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
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Bungee jumping

Bungee jumping is an adventurous sport in which people jump from higher ground such as a bridge with an elastic rope tied to their ankles to stop them from hitting the ground. The rope is designed to stretch, not break. When the rope has stretched all the way, the jumper bounces back up. When people jump they wear safety equipment like helmets and a harness.

History

It started as the coming-of-age ceremony in a small village on South Pentecost Island in Vanuatu. The young men jump from the top of a 30 meter high tree to demonstrate their courage as an adult. They tied jungle vines around their ankles so that they would not hit the ground.And from then it started to become a sport in which people take part and it was named bungee jumping .

Modern bungee jumping

Kawarau River bungy
Karawau Bridge jumping site

Modern bungee jumping began when four British men jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. In 1987 A.J.Hackett became world famous when he jumped from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Later he set up the Kawarau Bridge in New Zealand, with a height of 47 meters, as a commercial bungee jumping area. People could pay money for the fun of jumping. The idea quickly spread around the world.

Safety

Bungee jumping has several dangers. The rope has to be the right size for your weight, or it may break. The safety harness has to fit properly or the force of the drop could cause a person's bones to break. The rope has to be the right length or a person could hit the ground before being stopped by the rope.

Images for kids

  • Bill's Bungy Jump

    Bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge in Zambia/Zimbabwe

  • Pentecost Land Diving

    Land diving is a rite of passage for boys of the South Pacific island of Pentecost

  • Bungie-Jumping

    Bungee Jump in Normandy, France (Souleuvre Viaduct)

  • Platform for bungee jumping from a crane, stored on ground (cropped)

    A steel cage platform used for lifting it with a mobile crane. In the center of the base, a 15 cm wide hole with rounded plastic rim is provided to guide the bungee rope during the jump.

  • Bungee tower atop the Verzasca Dam, CH

    Looking down from atop the Verzasca Dam bungee tower near Locarno in Ticino, Switzerland

  • Saut à l'élastique Superman - Viaduc de la Souleuvre

    Bungee jumping from the Souleuvre Viaduct in Normandy

  • SCADcloud7mb

    SCAD dive system rigged on a crane

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Puenting para niños

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Bungee jumping Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.