AJ HACKETT BUNGI JUMP
Inspired by the Vanuatu ritual called land diving and the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club experimental jumps in the 1970s, Hackett and fellow adventurer Chris Sigglekow, sought ways to make bungy jumping safe. Using a mathematical formula developed by New Zealand's Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, he created a super-stretchy elastic bungy cord in the mid-1980s.
In November 1986, Hackett, along with Sigglekow, performed his first amateur bungy jump from the Upper Harbour Bridge (Greenhithe Bridge) in Auckland, citing it as "one of the most riveting experiences of my life." Following this Hackett made jumps from a bridge in Hamilton, the Auckland Harbour Bridge and other bridges in the North Island. These first jumps were made using a parachute harness; however, Hackett created a method where the harness was tied to the ankle and demonstrated its use by jumping off the Auckland Harbour Bridge a second time.
Hackett travelled to Paris in 1986 as part of the New Zealand Speed Skiing Team. While there he jumped off the 147 metres (482 ft) Pont de la Caille and a cable car at the Tignes ski resort. He made what became a famous bungy jump off the Eiffel Tower in Paris on 26 June 1987, receiving a brief jail sentence for the illegal feat and generating international attention to the sport.
Back in New Zealand, Hackett launched his own company, AJ Hackett Bungy, and created a site on the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge in Queenstown in 1988 to become the world's first commercial public bungy. He later expanded his company by founding bungy sites in Australia, France (Souleuvre Viaduct in Normandy), Russia (Sochi), Germany, the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, and Macau. He is credited with launching New Zealand's adventure tourism industry and helping to develop a safe code of operation for bungy jumping in use internationally. Hackett initially partnered with Henry van Asch, but the two split in 1997 with van Asch taking over the New Zealand-based business.
And NO I have not done a Bungy Jump, I really do suffer from Vertigo, but I did visit the Souleuvre Viaduct in Normandy, many years ago with my brother, sister in law and a friend for a weekend, in fact AJ was there that weekend, we didn’t realise until we replayed our recorded video