When you are 17 storeys up in the air, all sense of bravery is blown away with the evening sea breeze. My jump group exchanges fake smiles and nervous laughter. It’s a desperate attempt to keep ourselves excited and to prevent us from backing out.
Bungee jumping has been at the top of my bucket list, especially after experiencing a booking cancellation back when I visited AJ Hackett’s New Zealand branch five years ago.
This year, I am clearing that bucket list item in Singapore using the Singapore Rediscover vouchers.
My inner “adrenaline junkie” celebrated in 2017 when AJ Hackett announced the opening of a new branch in Sentosa.
Even though the Sentosa branch has been open for four years, the barrier that stopped me from attempting the bungee jump was the exorbitant prices. The bungee jump was initially priced at $159 but dropped to $69 after the COVID-19 pandemic to increase sales.
Bungee jumps are even more accessible with the introduction of Singapore Rediscover vouchers this year. Singaporeans can redeem their vouchers to pay for the bungee jumps, allowing them to express their hidden daredevils for free.
I had a free pass to check an item off my bucket list.
Other Singaporeans are taking advantage of this opportunity too. Jumpmaster Izuwan Hajis says that he’s seen an influx of local customers after Singapore Tourism Board introduced the Singapore Rediscover vouchers.
“I’ve wanted to do this for quite a while, but I didn’t think it was worth paying $69 for it,” says one of the members in my jump group.
Since the introduction of the Singapore Rediscover vouchers, Izuwan estimates that there are roughly 50 people who attempt the bungee jump on weekdays and approximately 90 people who attempt the jump on weekends.
“People are looking for an excuse to feel excited after being stuck at home for the last nine months. They’re looking for experiences to feel alive again,” Izuwan says.
Even though more Singaporeans are willing to take the plunge, COVID-19 social distancing guidelines limit the number of people allowed on the jump platform. AJ Hackett Sentosa follows social distancing guidelines by introducing jump groups; six jumpers sent off in 30-minute waves.
Social distancing guidelines makes booking jump reservations difficult. I attempt to book the bungee jump at the counter, but the staff apologetically declines as they can’t find a slot for me in an existing jump group. They advise me to check the available timeslots online and book a day in advance so that their admin team has enough time to form the jump groups.
I heave a sigh of disappointment. I was hyped up and ready to go, but I’ll have to come back the following day.
I spend the night before my jump watching bungee jumping compilation videos on YouTube to psych myself up. I close my eyes and imagine what it feels like to jump off and fall 17 storeys, and I question my sanity for choosing to do this.
Even though AJ Hackett Sentosa is comparatively smaller than other bungee jumps overseas, the 47m tower has seen its fair share of yielding jumpers. Izuwan chuckles as he describes his most recent experience of someone that refused to jump off.
“He came up acting all brave in front of his girlfriend, but he became damn quiet after we put on his harness,” he says. The jumper spent a full minute on the edge of the platform but refused to jump. Izuwan laughs as he continues: “In the end, I told him I was going to count down from three and then push him off the platform, but I pushed him off at two.”
The two Jumpmasters’ friendly demeanour on the platform, along with the upbeat punk rock playlist, makes me forget that I am mere moments away from jumping off a 47m tower.
My jump group vibes with the music as the Jumpmaster explain the proper form we should adopt while jumping. Jumpers must leap forward to prevent any accidental head bumps against the platform while falling. After jumping, jumpers have to raise their hands above their head and tuck their chin in to prevent getting a mouthful of water as they enter the 3.5m swimming pool below.
Members of my jump group start heading to the edge of the platform. Some of them give out I’m-going-to-die screams as they jump, drowning out the music. The others jump with no sound, almost as though their fear placed them in a state of paralysis. The rest of the group laughs together, attempting to keep things light and breezy.
I fall silent when the Jumpmasters call my name.
My knees start to shake uncontrollably, almost as though my body instinctively knows what is about to happen. I ask the Jumpmasters if they’re still afraid of bungee jumping, desperately finding a way to explain my fear.
“I’ve (bungee) jumped so many times, but the fear you feel when your toes are off the edge never goes away,” says Jumpmaster Izuwan. “It just gets easier to overcome the fear every time you do it.”
Izuwan goes over the safety pointers once again as his colleague straps me in. The harness uses a special knot that tightens when pressure is exerted on it, ensuring that we don’t slip out when the bungee cord recoils. To prevent rope burns from the leg harness, Izuwan wraps a towel around my legs before putting on the harness.
The Jumpmasters do three layers of checks before I am allowed to jump. The first check of the harness is done as the Jumpmaster ties the ropes. Izuwan checks once more before sending me to the edge of the jump platform.
My heart pounds as I nervously waddle my way to the edge. I have tried the GMAX Reverse Bungee and Sky Swing at Clarke Quay, but the degree of fear and excitement for those pales compared to this bungee jump. Here, I have complete control over the experience. It’s not just some lever I need to pull or a button I can press. I have to jump off the tower.
Izuwan does the last round of checks as I reach the edge of the platform. My toes hang off the edge, and my mind goes blank. Izuwan begins to count down before I can adequately recollect my thoughts.
At zero, I leap off.
My surroundings race by me, and the world becomes a blur. The fall is only two seconds, but it feels like an eternity. I panic a little, wondering when – or if – the rope will tighten.
Barely inches away from the water, the rope tightens and recoils, sending me flying upwards.
My fear vanishes, and I begin to realize that all I feel is bliss.
“The fear probably lasted for less than a second. After that, it’s just amazing,” says Sam Ho. “It feels damn good. I don’t mind going again.”
Even though most of the people in my jump group are strangers, we celebrate together as each person accomplishes their jump.
Celebrations turn into motivational cheering as one of my jump group members, Ryan Josel, hesitates to jump off at the top of the tower.
A crowd of onlookers, and customers at the café, cheer along with us.
“You don’t understand. I have a ridiculous fear of heights,” says Josel, who managed to jump on this third attempt. “But now that I’ve done it, I feel like I’m one step closer to overcoming this fear.”
My jump group gathers in front of the television screens to watch video recordings from the GoPro and the peripheral cameras. We laugh at each other’s panic-stricken faces and enjoy the shared experience we have.
As I walk back to the monorail, I use my phone to check off bungee jumping. Now, I can move on to the next terror-inducing activity on my bucket list.
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