Bungee Jumping
Excerpts from the book of Thierry Devaux
- In April 1979 , the first bungee jump was performed using sandows by an Englishman, from a 75-meters bridge in Bristol.
Seven years later, A.J. Hacket designed the first multi-fiber cord and became the originator of the sport. It’s the modern version of the rite of “N’gol Jump” from the Pentecost Island – a complex wooden tower is built from a carefully selected tree.
The natural latex comes from the sap of about twenty tropical plants, the most productive of which is hevea.
- The native Indians of the Amazon already used it as early as 1525 to waterproof their pirogues.
- In 1839, Charles Goodyear invents the vulcanization.
Nowadays, latex is used in tires, diapers or sportswear. It’s a fascinating material, the most elastic material that we know of, with a strong elasticity and elongation properties of several hundred percents.
For twenty years now, thousands of people are bungee jumping across the world.
Thierry Devaux has patented his elastics ending system.
