I was shaking and could barely speak (which for me, is truly a sign of something being very wrong). I was concentrating hard on just breathing and not fainting. It would have been highly embarrassing fainting before I’d even jumped. I focused all my attention on the back of the head of the person in front of me, as 300m below me the earth’s gravitational pull seemed to be trying to drag me down like a magnetic force.
It has to be said that the bridge walk out to the Face Adrenalin bungy jump at Bloukrans bridge on the Garden Route is the scariest part of the whole experience. Once you’ve managed to make your way across the steel mesh cage that hangs underneath the bridge, the actual jump from the center of the bridge seems somehow slightly less frightening.
From there it’s just a case of waiting your turn while the high energy music pumps movement into your petrified hips and the awesome, happy and friendly Face Adrenalin team does their countdown of “3, 2, 1, BUNGY!” for every person ahead of you in the queue.
By the time my turn came I was basically begging to jump. I was shaking with adrenalin as the harnesses and feet protectors were being strapped on. Then it was just a few bunny jumps right to the edge of the bridge and there was nothing holding me back from six seconds of free-falling through the crisp winter air.
“I’m so scared” I said to the two guys holding me up, my feet now strapped together. “It’s normal!” they shouted. “Ready? Three, two, one” Bungy…
If you’re going to bungy jump, you might as well jump off the highest bridge in the world. When you’re planning your trip to the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival next year, include this in your itinerary. It really is worth the experience.
