vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #166 / Social life / Reading article...

Imagine plummeting towards water from a height of 50 meters, only to be snapped back from the brink of death by a massive elastic cord, bouncing with all the grace of a yo-yo.

Some might call it madness. Others, like local businessman Peter Tarrant, call it a “fantastic business opportunity” for the Russian Far East.

On 10 a.m. May 9, under the watchful eye of a consultant from New World Bungy, Tarrant’s Russian-American joint venture, Tarzan Ltd., will initiate the first-ever bungee jump in the Russian Far East. The jump opens what he hopes will be a successful summer season of stomach-wrenching, adrenaline-pumping fun.

“This, indeed, will be a profitable operation,” says Tarzan’s majority owner, Sergei Istyumen. “I think we’ll attract a lot of attention here.”

New World’s Chris Hocking, contracted to establish the site and oversee day-to-day operations, says a 50-ton crane will be raised on Naberezhnaya near the Sportivnaya Gavan. The jumper is hoisted to a height of 50 meters in a steel cage and moved out over the water. He or she then launches head-first toward the water, before being snapped back into the air by a specialized, elastic cord attached to the ankles. The jumper is then slowly lowered to the ground to receive a T-shirt and certificate of achievement.

“It’s not painful at all, and it’s totally exhilarating,” says Hocking, a self-described “extreme specialist” who has jumped over 300 times and overseen more than 30,000 jumps worldwide in New World’s 7-year existence.

Requirements for bungee-jumping are minimal, Hocking says. People age 16 and up may jump without any preconditions. Younger teenagers and children will be requested to provide parental consent for jumping. Potential jumpers who are pregnant, who have had heart surgery, or who have epilepsy will be required to inform Hocking. While group reservations will be taken, most interested jumpers will just be able to turn up on a first-come, first-served basis, with tickets priced at 350 rubles ($58.33) per jump.

Asked about the safety of combining Newtonian physics and human flesh and bone, Hocking replies that he has had not one “incident” in the history of his business. In the eventuality that something does happen, though, he carries a sizable liability insurance package.

As a business venture, Tarrant anticipates operating the jump 12 hours a day, Wednesdays through Sundays, from May until September, and projects over 20,000 jumpers by season’s end. Depending on its success, Tarzan may open additional sites at the Shamora beach resort this year, and in future years, in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Khabarovsk, said Tarrant.

“There is a lot of potential for growth here in the market for weekend entertainment,” says Hocking. “We’re here to give kids something to do on the weekend.”