Bungy jumping has been boasted as many things.
Adventurous. Thrilling. Intoxicating. Once-in-a-lifetime. Terrifying. And they’re all true.
But one thing that’s rarely synonymous with this gravity-fuelled activity is ‘comfortable’. Or ‘easy’. If it were a walk in the park with no real fear, the adrenaline rush afterwards would not be as electrifying.
We know you’re here to face the fear! After 35 years of professional comfort-zone testing, our crew at AJ Hacket Bungy know the best tips and tricks to successfully do things you never thought you could. Let’s leap into our crew’s best advice for overcoming fear when bungy jumping.
Prepare to freeze
It can be a natural response to fear for your body to freeze or retreat from what it is afraid of, in this case, it’s the giant fall in front of you! It helps to know ahead of time that this won’t be easy and have a plan to overcome involuntary barriers.
Perhaps you’ll need to let go of your grand plans for an almighty leap off the platform; any bungy is a cool bungy! Instead, practice simply falling; whether onto your bed or the couch. Practice what it feels like to lean forward and put all of your weight on your toes just enough to tip yourself off balance. Sometimes this is all it takes to overcome your frozen limbs and fall from the platform!
Trust the process (and your crew)
Trusting the process and our bungy crew is far easier said than done, but also one of the most important ways to get yourself over the line and off the edge.
To your animal instincts, bungy jumping will never feel safe but you should do your best to keep in mind that you are in very experienced hands. AJ Hackett Bungy invented bungy jumping in New Zealand over 35 years ago and still maintains an exceptional safety record here. Although the activity itself is wild and adventurous, the safety standards behind the scenes are not; there’s ever-evolving policies and procedures, well-maintained equipment, cross-checks and redundancies, and highly trained crew involved.
Also, our safety practices aren’t just all talk! We adhere to strict legal standards, like the Bungy Code of Practice recognised by the New Zealand Standards, and are double-checked regularly by independent auditors.
With the main safety worries taken care of, we hope you can put all your focus on pushing your internal limits while we do what we do best!
Learn more about our safety policy and procedures here.
Take it from Fiddy!
“Since 1988 we have continued to establish more safety procedures. We are always monitoring and improving our systems and our training to ensure we are doing everything we can to maintain our exceptional safety record,” says Fiddy, Jump master.
Don’t hesitate
It’s very common for fear to build with each second you hesitate on the edge of the bungy platform! Your crew will give you the infamous bungy countdown and we highly recommend channelling all of your energy into jumping on the first try. The longer you stand there with your toes peeking over, the harder it is to rebuild that anticipation and motivation. Once you’re on the edge you’ve already accomplished the hardest part, so why not keep going to reap the rewards?
Remember why you’re here
Aspiring bungy jumpers all have personal motivations, inspirations, and goals that led them to confirm a time and place for their jump. We love hearing it all; a personal challenge, celebrating a milestone, marking an anniversary or kicking off your single era, a long-held dream or a split-second impulse. What is your why? Reminding yourself of the reason you booked a bungy jump can re-spark the courage you felt when clicking ‘confirm’ and reassure you that the fear is a hard but necessary step toward fulfilling your original goal.
Ultimately, bungy jumping is a huge personal challenge with the majority of the battle taking place in your mindset. If you’re pre-prepared to face the inevitable fear for a maximum adrenaline payoff, have trust in the proven capability of your crew and equipment, and are ready to achieve what you set out to do, all that’s left to do is show up and smash your comfort zone!
