Extreme Sports - Do You Dare?

41
by : 
Rachel Lewis

Yesterday, I did something a bit different. Not only did I turn 23, but I celebrated it for the first time
away from my friends and family. By "celebrate", I mean I went bungee jumping.

Are you a bit of an adrenaline junkie? Could you throw yourself out of a plane? Swim with sharks?
Go paragliding? It's normal to be very nervous about these crazy activities - not everybody enjoys
them, and some would rather not even try. And that's absolutely fine. But for those of you who are
interested, here is my review of the latest extreme sport I have tried.

Great Canadian Bungee is the biggest bungee jump in North America, with the rebound alone being
bigger than any other bungee jump on the continent. I pre-booked my jump so that I could choose
the time for my birthday. This particular jump is very near Canada's capital city, Ottawa. This means
it is quite easy to access, but the easiest method of transport is by car.

I arrived, gave my name to the lady at reception, and then had the unpleasant experience of signing
the disclaimer. At that point, I questioned myself. I was essentially signing my life away, and saying
that if I died, it was not their fault. Wow. I signed anyhow, and a little while later, I was allowed to
walk up the path to the scaffolding, where the jump takes place.

I should say that this jump site is rather beautiful, in a rustic way. You are surrounded by white and
grey cliffs amongst lots of trees, and are jumping towards blue water (which you can hit when you
jump, if you wish). The day I was there was a sunny and warm day, which always helps. After
climbing the steps up the scaffolding, the process begins.

We were a group of approximately 10 people in the same jump group, and our jump order was
assigned by height (heaviest to lightest), putting me towards the end as men often weigh more than
women. I watched several nervous men tentatively fall off the jump platform before my turn arrived.
For this reason, I would say bungee jumping is not for the faint-hearted!

Then, our scheduler gave me a waist harness and strapped me into a harness with 2 holes for my
feet. We walked to the platform area, where 2 more seasoned bungee jump instructors were waiting
to assist me. After double-checking all of my harnesses and safety equipment, I was attached to the
jump rope and allowed to walk to the platform edge.

Personally I have no fear of heights. Birds terrify me, but heights are pretty cool with me. After my
countdown from 5, I spread my arms into a swan dive and leapt from the platform. The DVD later
showed my entire jump to be rather more graceful than I had imagined it to be. The rebounds were
almost as good as the first jump, but then the blood did indeed rush to my head. One of my shoes
also felt like it might fall off under the strain of holding my body weight until I was lowered into the
waiting boat.

To summarise, it was a great experience and a wonderful birthday present to myself, but not as
much fun as skydiving. And definitely shorter! But if, like me, you enjoy the feeling of adrenaline, I'd
certainly recommend it.

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