When I was eighteen, I spent the summer in New Zealand. I spent about a month doing adventuresome stuff like climbing Mount Ruapehu, a then-dormant volcano; bunking in cabins that had previously housed Lord of the Rings crew and hobbits; and Blair Witch-ing it alone in the woods for 24 hours with nothing more than tarp, string, a blanket and some granola. I spent the last month working as a teacher’s aid in a small, private Catholic school. I still have fond memories of the students and the staff.
But I do not have fond memories of bungee jumping. I took a few days off during my teacher’s aid stint and headed off to Taupo with some friends. I was the last one to jump, for reasons I do not remember. I watched them all dive off the platform. Bravely. I remember one friend jumping off the platform as soon as her boots were strapped on. Her arms were spread wide as she flew through the air, à la Superman.
Then I walked to the ledge and looked down. Horrifying. Nauseating. Surreal.
And, of course, the bungee centre had a no-refunds policy. Convenient. The cranky staff woman somehow got me to step off the ledge. I cried all the way down…and up…and down…and up…and down.
Once pulled out of the boots, I ran into my friend’s arms and cried even more. It was a horrible, horrible experience. Why in the world did I think it was a good idea to pay cash to jump off a ledge, attached to a giant elastic band?
So it was with horror that I watched this guy push his girlfriend off the edge of cliff. (She apparently forgives him for it.)
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I have a friend whose brother bungee-jumped with a bad result. He went into a depression shortly afterwards, was treated with anti-depressants, was given too many, and ended up a paraplegic. Did the bungee jumping cause this? No one can prove a link, although his sister said the depression certainly seemed linked to the jump, as he had no previous history of depression.
I can’t think that the jolt to the body and what that can do to any part of it, including the brain, can be a good thing.
Hi Julie,
The jolts are horrible. My brain felt like it was crushing against the top of my skull each time the cord jerked me back up it.
I’m sorry to hear about your friend’s brother. That’s so tragic.