A video has gone viral online showing a man bungee jumping at the Hangzhou Qiandao Lake Huma Adventure Park in China, where it’s not entirely clear if he has a safety rope attached before he makes the startling jump.
Why It Matters
Bungee jumping is an extreme sport that involves leaping off a high platform while connected to a long elastic cord. Originally inspired by “land diving,” from the island of Vanuatu, modern bungee jumping has been popular since the first commercial jump in New Zealand back in the 1980s.
Though it is an extreme sport, it is widely considered to be relatively safe, particularly when practitioners adhere to strict safety protocols. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that there is a fatality rate of one in 500,000 for both sky divers and bungee jumpers.
What To Know
A video shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo showed staff at Hangzhou Qiandao Lake Huma Adventure Park screaming as a man bungee jumped off of a platform, and many on social media believed that he was not wearing the necessary safety rope. The video was reshared on X, formerly Twitter, where it has received over 2.8 million views.
So, what really happened?
The outlet Xiaoxiang Morning News learned that the safety rope was tied in front of the man, where it was not visible, but there was no safety issue with the bungee jumping process.
The staff were screaming because they had never seen such a “decisive jump,” according to the outlet. The staff were shocked by how suddenly the man jumped.
The man himself posted a social media video after the jump where he explained what happened, explaining that he had jumped too quickly and the staff weren’t prepared, adding that the angle the video was filmed at contributed to the misunderstanding, as per the Xiaoxiang Morning News.
For thrill seekers, Huma Adventure Park in Jiajia Town, Qiandao Lake is a must visit. The 108-meter glass cantilever viewing platform, the 480-meter-long s-shaped glass slide, and the 4.5-kilometer-long super scooter lane are waiting for you to check out and challenge! pic.twitter.com/74pwl5P97p
— HANGZHOU TOURISM and CULTURE (@TOURISMHANGZHOU) January 7, 2022
The Hangzhou Qiandao Lake Huma Adventure Park is no stranger to attention on social media. Located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, the park has a number of attractions including a glass viewing platform, super mountain slide, high-altitude flying and cable cars and videos and pictures of these often circulate on social media.
What People Are Saying
The Huma Adventure Park on the Hangzhou website: “Dare you try the rocket bungee jumping that catapults you into the air in just one second? You can reach as high as over 300 meters and rotate 360 degrees multiple times in the air. The experience can really be described as ‘overturning mountains and rivers.’”
What Happens Next
Extreme sports like bungee jumping are shocking and exciting to watch, so there may be similar viral moments like this on social media in the future.
The post Staff Scream as Bungee Jumper Appears to Jump Off Without Safety Rope appeared first on Newsweek.
