The art of walking upright Is the art of using both feet... One is for holding on The other is for letting go...

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Where bungy jumping began: Land diving in Pentecost







A couple of months ago, Peter from the Maritime College had suggested that the College’s flagship, Euphrosyne II, could be used for a trip to Pentecost to see the land diving. As April and May passed with no word about a trip, I assumed that my chance to look at the land diving would come next year, since they restrict jumping to these months. However, a week ago the call came that the trip might be on, if 10 or more people could be convinced.

So finally with a group of fifteen, and after a few bevies at Beachfront Resort, we set off from the Maritime College wharf at 9.30pm on Friday night. We steamed out of Segond Channel, the lights of Luganville to Port, Aore Island to Starboard, and then hit the open water where the similarities to a washing machine began. A pity I didn’t bring some of that hand washing to do! Also a pity that I might have gone a bit overboard with the tuskers… so I retired to my mat on the floor, with a few quick dashes to make sure the fish were adequately fed.

We arrived at 6.30am to a mist cloaked Pentecost, and waited for a few hours while various small boats overflowing with pikinini and people from other villages cruised in, and small planes from Vila landed. The land diving tower was built behind Lonorore Airport, 5 minutes walk up a small hill.

The tower itself is built from wood and jungle vines, and as we arrived the jumpers were preparing their platforms and vines. Soon the smol boys and men in their nambas began their chanting and singing to encourage the divers at a cleared area above the tower. Soon they were joined by the smol girls and women, as the first of the divers stood to make their jump.

Seven men jumped in total, at various heights up the tower. There were the comedians, showmen and entertainers, with the tower set in the humid jungle of south Pentecost, overlooking coconut plantations and the ocean between Pentecost and Ambrym.

We returned to the boat after the diving, with a few of us swimming to the boat for our morning exercise. Then it was back to Santo, the trip being much more sedate as we traveled with the wind and waves. So for another 8 or so hours we spel smol, kakae smol, storian smol, lukluk ol islands (Ambae, Malekula, Malo) and eventually reached Segond Channel after dusk, with phosphorescence in our wake and flying fish beside us. Definitely the quickest (less than 24 hours) adventure in Vanuatu!

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home