Daredevils Drop Into The Nile

It is the ultimate in extreme sports as far as Uganda is concerned. And the last thing I can recall thinking about just before I plunged off the 44 metre high platform, that cast a terrifying presence over the Nile was: “Please God, let me not pee in my pants as I hurtle down!”
The bungy jump at the far end of the gardens that house Jinja Nile Resort was well attended. On first sight, the platform did not look all that daunting. However, standing at the ledge, your legs firmly bound at the ankles and trying to psyche yourself up, it was a different story all together.
Though we did not see them, the first jumpers on the day were Tinu Mhajan and Lasiti Ole Kerore, both of Jinja Nile Resort who did a double jump. A double jump as in they locked themselves in a bear hug and flung themselves off. Ole Kerore said, “It was a feeling of death as the water came up quickly. You just don’t have time to think.”
For one of their colleagues though, Rakesh Pant, the financial controller of the resort, it was too much for him to take in. For almost 20 minutes, he stood at the ledge, waved to his friends but just could not bring himself to jump. And the crowd too didn’t do much to help his situation. They heckled him — some screaming ‘jump’, others booed and the rest screamed ‘stop wasting our time!’ “It was just too high,” Pant said when he clambered down from the platform. “I just could not bring myself to jump,” he added.
Sports Feva editor, Nick Cavell who had done a much bigger jump in South Africa got cold feet too. “The one I did in SA was 200 metres plus. But today standing up there, it just didn’t feel right. I couldn’t do it,” he said.
When it was time Capital FM to jump, funnyman Olunyah Columbus thought it prudent to try and give a live broadcast, as he hurtled towards the Nile. Phone strapped to his wrist he plunged off, but it was doubtful he had anything sensible to say. His colleague, Baba Bright jumped while ‘reading’ The New Vision and OJ, the only female jumper from the station had her heckles drowned out and she whizzed down.
As you sit in the chair waiting to have your ankles strapped to the elastic rope, that is when fear — or in my case a sever dose of extreme terror set in. My heart was doing more than just 72 palpitations a minute, as the instructors took me through the drill. “You have to hop to the ledge, and when you get there, don’t look down. Keep your head up and look at the mango tree ahead of you on the hill. “Which bloody mango tree?” I barked out, for the hill was littered with all kinds of trees making it impossible to single out a mango tree.
They urge you not to look down because it can really freak you out. Looking down the 44 metres you have to jump, what springs to mind is: suicidal, frightening, a stupid idea and I wish I had never heard of bungy jumping.
“As I start counting five downwards, hold out your hands and when I shout bungy, that’s when you jump” the instructor went on. Standing at the ledge, you are on your own. There is nothing that stands between you and the Nile below. Your knees wobble and your stomach uncomfortably churns. It is next to impossible to have any coherent thoughts. And when you finally go ahead and jump, you cannot even remember that precise impulse moment that gave you the courage to fling yourself into ‘space’.
I cannot even recollect what happened in the three seconds it took to free fall (everything is over in just over two minutes). You only begin to realise something is happening when the rope gets taunt. As the rope is elasticated, it flings you back up a good three or four times before you settle down. During those three to four flings, the adrenaline rush is high. Not only have you lost orientation, you are also trying to figure out what is going to happen next. As I dangled about, waiting to be lowered into the support boat four letter expletives like f*** and s*** were the best words I could use to describe what just happened.
Two of the Capital FM winners, Resty and her husband Dennis Mwebaze who jumped together, described it as follows. “You don’t have time to think. She (Resty) was scared. As we jumped, we kept thinking we are going to die.”
One of the most worried looks was worn WBS’ Elvis Sekyanzi, who jumped with his cousin Bentic. For a while after the jump, all he could say was, “man”. And there was Avigal, the belly dancer from Israel. “I just came to Uganda to dance. I didn’t think I would end up bungy jumping. It was worth it though. A real experience.” Other jumpers from The New Vision included Tom Wasswa, Abubaker Mukose, Alfred Wasike, Juliet Nsiima and James Akena. Another jumper was Leila Kassam.
For further details on bungy jumping contact Adrift on:
Tel: 252 720 or 077 454 206 or 071 707 668, The Adventure Centre, 3 Kintu Road. Ends