Getting started in Bungee Jumping

On your first day, bungee jumping you will be asked to sign an indemnity form. This is partly to check that you have no medical issues which should prevent you from jumping, such as a heart condition, back or neck complaints etc. You will then be given a debriefing of the bungee jumping process and a some training on how best to jump. From here you will be securely harnessed and weighed. This is to ascertain the length and type of bungee cord to be used for your bungee jump.

Next, it is up to the jumping platform whatever this may be - crane, platform, bridge, or balloon and the jump master up there will check your calculations again. You will be attached to the bungee cord and this should be checked one final time. The jump master will check again that you know the jumping procedure and then... you jump! After hurtling earthwards and bouncing back up a number of times you will be lowered to safety, shaken and stirred.

With the maturation of this extreme sport, practitioners are always looking for new ways to push the boundaries. Recently a number of radical new types of bungee jumping have sprung up.

• Tandem Bungee - Too afraid to go it alone or maybe you want to share the thrill with someone close to you? Then you can do a bungee jump for two - strapped together for double the fun.

• Bungee Rocket - A reverse bungee jump where you are catapulted up into the air inside a capsule that is strung to twin towers by giant rubber bands. You can experience 0 -100 km/h in a single second and the capsule only stops bouncing once all the energy has expired from the rubber bands.

• Bungee Trampoline - Much like the name indicates, this is a cross between bungee jumping and trampoline. Strapped to twin rubber cords and bouncing on a giant trampolines you can reach much greater heights more safely and the experienced can perform double and even triple somersaults in a single bounce.