There is something unnatural about stepping off a platform 80m above ground level. The body doesn't like it. But this is the reality of the arch swing at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

A two-second free-fall, a 120m swing through the air and an eight-minute hoist back to the platform - then it's over. It's short, but it's oh-so-exhilarating.

It's that step off the platform that's tough. I couldn't do it the first time. My legs just wouldn't take that step. They refused. The spirit was willing, the body said, "Uh-uh, not today, buddy".

I asked to be unclipped and chickened out.

It was words from Gcinumzi Koko, the operating director at the rig, that made me change my mind, put down my white flag and try again.

"You're the first guy to pull out," he said, tauntingly.

"I'm going to regret not jumping, aren't I?" I asked him. His reply: "Yep."

"Then hook me up. I'm doing this thing," I said.

Standing on the platform, the reasons that made me bail out the first time came flooding back. It's high. Unnaturally high.

"Are you ready?" Koko asked. "Nope, but I'm doing this anyway," I responded, terror audible in my voice.

Three... Two... One... Step.

I stepped. I swore. Then I shouted in ecstasy. That two-second free-fall was incredible, the dangling from the rope above the pitch was spectacular, and the experience was one I wanted to repeat.

But that step... Wow. That step is terrifying.

"A lot of people are calling this a bungee jump, but it's not. It's a swing. And it's more difficult than a bungee jump. It's easy to fall, but to actually step off the ledge, that's a completely different story. Stepping off is a conscious decision, and that makes it so much more challenging," Koko said, and not just to make me feel better.

It's ironic, though, that fear. Ironic because safety is paramount and the rig completely safe - it's "over-engineered", says Koko.

"When you jump, you're attached to two different cables, which we call webbing. The purple one is the mainline, and it has a breaking strength of eight tons. Attached to it is the red webbing, which is the back-up cable. That has a breaking strength of three tons.

"Combined, that's 11 tons. You would need to weigh 11 000kg to break it," he said.

The harness is French-made and is favoured by builders, including those who installed the roof at the stadium. The solid steel clips used can handle up to two tons, and two are attached - one for the mainline, at the front of the harness, and one for the safety line, attached at the side of the harness - during the jump.

"The human body will break before this does," Koko said.

"When you're up there, you're never unclipped, except for when you jump, and even then we only release the safety when you're right at the edge of the platform," he added.

There are complicated winch systems installed, three brakes and other technical aspects that the layman jumper wouldn't even begin to understand.

"Rest assured, you are completely, 100 percent safe," Koko said, adding that every member of the team was qualified in first aid and had undergone rope access training, which means they can climb up and get you should something go wrong.

But that step... Wow, that step.
 

Source: IOL Travel - www.ioltravel.co.za

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