Bunjee-jumping and other crazy stuff

[lebiancos]

Ok, I'm not sure I can post this in this forum, but I couldn' find any other that might give it shelter. Don't flame me, please, I have a really weak heart... And I want to make it stronger by engaging myself in some really "crazy stuff", like the title says. If you know any good place that approves and organizes bunjee jumping, parachute ... jumping? , sky diving, base jumping or other adrenaline pumping activities, please post em in here. I know that Australia and New Zealand are quite good for this.
Any suggestions are welcome, especially if you have some around Ireland (scarce chance, I know... I have to try...)
Thank you sooo much, peace out and Check it!

 

[rival]

could try checkin in your phonebook..duno, not into that stuff myself however it would be neat to sky dive or something

 

[McPhreak]

Not to discourage you from doing all your crazy stuff, but bungee jumping and all the other things are NOT a good way of strengthening your heart, unless you decided to do these things every other day for the rest of your life. In fact, it may cause you to have a heart attack or some other related injury. If you know you have a weak heart, I suggest you not do these sort of things.

That being said, I was able to both scuba dive (without certification) and bungee jump while I was in Thailand. I know what you're thinking: "Oh my God! What sort of fool would bunjee jump in such an underdeveloped country!" but the truth is that both places were run by English men who were very professional, had been running the business for 15+ years and knew exactly what they were doing. The bungee cords were wound by hand from this guy and the other English guy dove with us to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Skydiving I've done while in California. There are enough skydiving companies around that you can probably look it up on google for the nearest one to you.

 

[PullMyFinger]

lebiancos,
Your best place to start looking for skydiving access is www.uspa.org which lists all the drop zones and training facilities located throughout the world. The quickest way to satisfy your adrenaline urge is to try a tandem jump. It only takes about 45 minutes of training and then you get to jump from 13500+ feet, about 2 minutes of free fall. Then if you like the sport, you can take lessons and within a couple weeks/months you'll be qualified to jump on your own.

Unfortunately, in order to experience some of the more extreme aspects of the sport (sky surfing, BASE jumping, exhibition jumps, world record attempts), you'll need advanced licenses and/or 1000+ jumps. But that's part of the fun, getting to the next level and honing your skills.

Have fun and enjoy the ride.

Blue skies,

Keith
USPA
A17721

 

[spidey07]

where's the video RUSS?

 

[Jzero]

w00t for PullMyFinger who quoted me in his sig! I thought you were kidding when you said you were going to do that! Would it be rude to ask you to tag my name to it?

As for the post, to strengthen your heart, you should take up cardio and aerobics. Swimming, rowing, jogging, etc would do you best in terms of strengthening your heart.

But don't let that stop you from doing some extreme/adventure sports! I dunno if I'm down with free-fall type sports, but I am big into climbing, paintball, and kayak surfing, and would recommend all three. There are probably rock gyms/climbing areas, and paintball arenas somewhere near you, and you should also be able to find a whitewater company within a few hours drive.

And if you're near an ocean, definitely pick up a paddle!

 

[Parrotheader]

Not to discourage you either, but since this JUST happened two days ago I thought I'd share. My wife's best friend's brother (still with me?) went skydiving on Tuesday. This is the first time he'd been skydiving since he went with his friend (who was killed when his parachute didn't open.) So what happens this time???? Naturally, the parachute doesn't open. At least the first one didn't. The second chute DID open, but by that time he was too close to the ground and falling at such a rate that it barely made any difference. He hit the ground going I don't know how fast, but somehow managed to live. He's in intensive care right now where they're holding him over to check for any internal damage. He has massive swelling in his spine which had him temporarily paralyzed up until yesterday. But they think/hope that will all eventually go away.

What's strange is that he went right back to the exact same company he'd jumped with before (the one where his friend died.) And both times, they let the company pack their parachute for them. Now call me overcautious, but would you really go back and trust the same company that may have been responsible for your friend's death?? I'm sure skydiving companies have all sorts of protection clauses and waivers you have to sign before you jump to cover their a$$, but our friend's family is still looking into any legal action they can take. If nothing else, I'd at least go to the local media and kick up a fuss if it really is the fault of the company for the second time. Of course, the best way to avoid all of this is to not jump out of an airplane. I don't have wings for a reason.

 

[Russ]

<< where's the video RUSS? >>



Hi Spidey.

lebiancos,

Here's what you'd be in for. (5.3MB wmv file)

Russ, NCNE

 

[PullMyFinger]

Jzero,
Consider it done.

Parrotheader,
Give my regards to your friends and family who were affected by that incedent. I personally know/knew 2 people who have been killed and 3 others who have been severely injured/paralyzed through skydiving. I also personally know people who have been jumping for 20+ years with 4000+ jumps without having to ever deploy their reserve.

No, it is not a perfectly safe sport, accidents happen. But it's the knowledge that is derived from these accidents that makes the sport unique. In the USPA magazine, there are statistics of injuries and deaths which occurred in the previous months. The accident details are explained and possible/probable causes and preventive methods are proposed. I don't know of any other recreation/sport which provides this in-depth level of self-review and continuing education (for lack of a better term).

For those who are contemplating trying skydiving, do it, check up on the drop zone you intend to visit and take along some close friends, it'll make the event that much more memorable. Your first jump is one of those few, defining instances throughout your life which will remain vivid in your memory till the day you leave the earth. I still remember everything about my first jump; the smell of the plane, the feel of the prop blast, the look on the instructors face when he yelled "GO", the feel of the grass when I landed, everything.

I think I'll stop preaching now, everyone can make their own decisions about what they want to do with their lives. One last thought, if you're worried about taking a chance/risk and dying because of it, just think how you'll feel if you never took that chance/risk and died from a fall in the tub.