Countdown to bungy world record attempt
13 Aug 2008
A New Zealand radio engineer who is attempting to break the world record for bungy jumping says he’s fit and ready to begin his marathon leaps off the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Mike Heard begins his record attempt at 0600 hours New Zealand time this Friday (August 15). He is hoping to break the Guinness World Record currently held by South African Bill Boshoff, who performed 101 bungy jumps in 14 hours and 23 minutes in 2002.
Young and fit
While he may face some motion sickness from the repeated jumps, Heard says he is young and fit and doesn’t expect to suffer any long term health problems. AJ Hackett Bungy the company that pioneered the world famous extreme experience has a 100 percent safety record and will be controlling Heard’s record attempt.
AJ Hackett - Auckland has been working closely with him to make sure his health is up to scratch. "They will be treating each jump as if I was a new customer. They have their reputation to protect so they’ll pull the plug if they feel it’s not safe," says Heard.
Dispelling the myths
Being passionate about bungy jumping has inspired the record attempt but Heard says his reasons are three-fold. "Apart from loving bungy jumping, I’m supporting the Cure Kids charity and also want to dispel some of the myths and rumours that surround bungy jumping
"I would like to see more people giving it a go. Bungy Jumping shouldn’t be one of those sports that you try once just to ‘cross off your list of things to do before you die’, people should try it once and then try it again and again and again. It can often be a little disorientating the first time around, but trust me it gets a whole lot better the more you do it," says Heard.
Strict guidelines
Two independent officials are required to witness and record each jump. Each year Guinness World Records receives 65,000 applications from people wanting to break various world records and Heard says he’s thrilled to have been accepted for the bungy attempt.
Thousands of people are expected to watch him jump and special cruise boats will anchor under the Harbour Bridge for passengers to get close to the action.
Mike Heard says he wants to beat the number of jumps but also the time in which they are achieved. "I want to break this record Kiwi style," he says.
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