The Extreme Australian Sport That Involves Bungee Jumping Right To The Mouths Of Crocodiles
Extreme sports enthusiasts are in it for the thrill. Adrenaline rushes through the body at each turn. Science That Matters reports that sensation seeking, defined as "the seeking of varied, novel, complex and intense sensations and experiences and the willingness to take physical, social, legal and financial risks for the sake of such experiences" plays a huge role in driving such adrenaline junkies right off cliffs, in some cases quite literally.
According to Science ABC, the very flow of these sensation-seeking activities develops into a rush that could be described as similar to meditating. In other words, cliff diving is to the extreme sports lover what chanting is to the meditating monk. And in this world of extremities, nothing quite flows like the rush of bungee jumping, that sudden surge of beta-endorphins accompanied by an overall increase in brain activity that happens a short second after you take the plunge — at least until now (via Nature). All That's Interesting reports that now, crocodile bungee jumping is the latest craze in extreme sports adventures off the coast of Australia, and it's every bit as biting as it sounds.
Crocodile bungee jumping is a popular extreme sport in Australia
Regular bungee jumping is the freefalling thrill ride where a participant is attached to an elasticized rope and harness and encouraged to jump from hundreds of feet in the air, often over a river, and then suddenly snapped back from falling as the cord pulls away at the very last minute. Science Direct reports that the sport can cause serious or even fatal injuries including intracranial hemorrhage and carotid dissection if even the slightest thing goes wrong, like for example if the cord breaks.
Apparently, down under in Australia, extreme sports fans are ramping up the risks of injury from bungee jumping in a rather fascinating way — by adding crocodiles to the mix. According to Factinate, the sport works pretty much the way you would expect. Rather than jumping from hundreds of feet in the air over a calm and soothing location, Australia-based jumpers can dive head-first into crocodile-infested waters, staring right into the gaping mouths of hungry crocodiles as they take the plunge. Oh, snap!
What happens if the cord snaps or the measurements are off?
In perhaps the most wildly unexpected twist to this extreme sport caught on camera, a YouTube video revealing one woman's failed attempt at crocodile bungee jumping ended in a narrow, near-miraculous escape from certain death, according to the Bangalore Mirror. The Guardian reports that the woman in the video was identified as 22-year-old Erin Langworthy, a complete newbie to bungee jumping who was seeking what she called "a big adventure".
That fateful day, the Australia native hovered 364 feet over the Zambezi River at Victoria Falls, which is pictured above. When she took the leap, she says she felt her chest jolt, but nothing could prepare her for what would happen next, when the cord snapped and the thrill-seeking did not end. This was only the beginning.
"That morning, I had seen crocodiles in the water, but I couldn't think about that," she explained in an interview recounting the incident. "I was struggling in the fast-flowing rapids, because my ankles were still tied together."
Sources say she waded in the crocodile-infested waters for an agonizing 40 minutes before she was finally rescued, her body purple but her mind at ease.
"I'm a positive person, so I've never been angry about what happened," she has said, hinting that she might even try her luck with those feisty crocs again in the future.