3,2,1 BUNGEE!

This is to certify that Mooketsi Nthite has just jumped the world’s highest bungee jump bridge, Bloukrans at 216m. As I type this piece, I’m looking at the certificate proving that I have about half a brain in my skull, because no sane person with a healthy medulla oblongata would risk becoming a red splat on the ground just to have the bragging rights to say 'I did it.'

I still get dizzy just watching this

One thing I’ve always had on my To Do list before I die is to bungee jump. The exhilaration that comes from jumping of a high ledge with nothing but a flimsy rope saving you from a spectacular death sends a cold shiver of excitement down my spine.   So when Zen dared me to jump while we were on vay-kay in the Eastern Cape, I didn’t hesitate to call her bluff, oh boy if only I knew what I was getting myself into.

Getting strapped up for my virgin jump

She kept hammering, “Bloukrans, lets jump of the Bloukrans Bridge.” All I did was roll my eyes and mumble, “ok Zen we can do it.” The full magnitude of what she got me into only hit me when I saw the actual bridge we would be jumping off on December 30 2012. Firstly, the structure itself is a breath taking engineering marvel, dozens of vertical concrete slabs connected to a massive arch holding up the highway linking the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape.

 

While motorists travelling on this highway appreciated the tranquil beauty of the Tsitsikamma National Park from the safety and comfort of their vehicles, a few meters below daredevils were quite literally stepping out of their comfort zones.  From the viewing decks, which are a few hundred meters away, we could even hear the jumpers screaming as they got pushed of the bridge and plummeted towards Earth like suicidal stock brokers jumping of the roof of the JSE, but fortunately this fall was stopped halfway by the highly flexible rope.

A lump formed in my throat, and I took a deep gulp as I reconsidered my decision. “Zen, maybe we should jump at Chaf Pozi in Soweto for starters, I mean its only 100m of the ground,” I softly muttered. “Why, are you scared?” She teased. “Ofcourse not, what I’m trying to say is…” Before I could finish my sentence she handed me a disclaimer to sign. It might as well have been my suicide note.

The day of the jump arrived, and as our group was lead through a stony path leading to an even narrower catwalk under the bridge which connected with the bungee jump deck, the two Peroni’s I had gulped down earlier did little to calm my nervous nerves. Then I looked down through the black, steel mesh floor we were walking on, only a few centimetres thin, and I became immediately sober.  Below us, far below us, was the Bloukrans River snaking through the Tsitsikamma Forest. We were hundreds of meters above ground, and there was no safety net to catch us should the rope give. The thought of it made me dizzy

 Then we were on the jumping deck where the bungee crew was scurrying about like sailors on a ship deck. There was rope pulling everywhere, one group was throwing ropes over one side of the bridge while a jumper leapt over the opposite side. Other crewmen were tying ropes around jumpers’ heels and securing safety straps around their torso’s,  while others were doing the exact opposite;  untying the ropes and straps of the jumpers pulled safely back up.

'Spiderman' coming to my rescue, lol.

Another group was operating a winching device that pulled and lowered ‘Spiderman’ up and down the bridge . (Spiderman is the guy who descends on a separate line and helps you back up after you jump). And as soon as Spiderman brought a jumper safely back up, another jumper was already prepped and waiting on the launch pad for the go ahead to bungee, this cycle was repeated over and over again, flawlessly with each jumper.

 All this was done without the control of a captain or visible supervisors barking out orders. Instead, the crew was working to the rhythm of fast paced techno music, blaring so loud we couldn’t hear the screaming jumpers even though they were just a few meters away. After seeing the co-operation, synchronicity and “safety first” attitude exuded by the bungee crew, our group automatically developed a faith in their skills.  I felt safe knowing we were in the hands of people who, through clear demonstration, knew exactly what they were doing.

Zen jumped before me and several jumps later it was my turn. Now my heart was pounding louder than the Crazy White Boy joint the DJ was jamming. They strapped me up, tied my legs and lead me to the edge of the deck like pirates making a prisoner walk the plank.

I took one peak down, shook my head and shouted repeatedly “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Every cell in me was begging me to abort, but it was too late to turn back now. The two guys flanking me began the countdown, “3! 2! 1!” then shoved me of the bridge, sending me screeching towards terra firma at want felt like Mach speeds.

It’s like I was plunging into a wormhole, a spiralling time warp where inertia and gravity would pull me down into a black hole for infinity. Then I felt a strong jerk, pulling me back up, repelling gravity like the same sides of a magnate. I snapped out of the trance, the whiplash klapped me back into real time reality. Though the initial descent lasted a mere 5.5 seconds, it was the most exhilarating and longest five seconds of my life.But the fun wasn’t over; gravity wasn’t going to give up without a fight…

Most people think bungee jumping is a once of deal between gravity and the thick rope defying it to save your life. Remember, after the rope is stretched to its full length and retracts back up, recoiling like a cobra, it relaxes again only to provide you with yet more momentum for another scary descent.

This ‘second descent’ took half the time as the first jump, but it was more terrifying because my eyes were open wider than the Kimberly Hole.  At the point where the rope retracts after straightening out,  I came close enough to the ground to make out the individual stones and pebbles on the banks of the Bloukrans River, but fortunately not too close to feel them with my face.

The third round of my battle against gravity was the most intense. With my heart booming in my rib cage, lungs heaving my chest up and down like a rumbling volcano ready to explode; my senses were more alert than they’ve ever been. My sight especially was sharper than an eagle’s; I could see each individual branch, each little leave of every tree swaying in the forest canopies.  I never felt so alive…

I didn’t really feel the rope jerking me up for the fourth time, or any other time after that. To be honest I was just terrified the rope would snap or the Velcro strap around my heels would tear. Though I was frightened of dying, I was having intense fun simultaneously.

The total time from jumping of the bridge, to bobbing up and down like a buoy in the ocean, to finally hanging still, suspended upside down in mid-air like an astronaut in zero-gravity, takes less than two minutes. But the sense of pride and bravery you walk away with lasts a life time.

Thanks to the crews excellent skills, I survived. Matter fact, as far as I know Bloukrans has a clean record. Way to go mense, awe!

I felt extremely relieved when Spiderman came down to ‘save’ me, but also disappointed because I wished I could have had a few extra minutes to prolong the exhilarating experience of defying the force Isaac Newton named gravity and living to tell about it.

When we were back on solid ground, before the adrenalin in my blood stream had even dissipated, Zen was already daring me to do another dare devil stunt. She shoved a pamphlet in my face showing people jumping out of an airplane, “Let’s do skydiving next time.” My response was the same as when she first dared me to bungee, “let’s do it!”