Bungee
Jumping was first applied by the “Most
Dangerous Sports Club” from Oxford University
after observing the vine jumping tribe in the South
Pacific Pentecost islands. They used military spec bungee
cords which have evolved greatly with softer latex cords.
Tropical
Bungee was born in Costa Rica on September
1991 after Victor Gallo visited California, United States
in 1990 during a business trip.
During
an Adventure Sport equipment fair, Victor and some friends
decided go to try Bungee Jumping at the Feather River railroad
Bridge, near of Marysville.
Victor with ample climbing knowledge and little abstemious
to long falls, and not too fond of roller coasters wasn’t
sure about it, but when the moment came…. It had to
try it!!
The emotion, adrenaline and flight sensation that it produced
him were the reason he installed this bungee jumping operation
in Costa Rica. Victor knew that Costa Rica had several Bridges
with the characteristics required to develop this activity.
One year later, Victor formed partnership with Todd Brownell
who was the jump master in California.
Both
realized jumps in bridges such as Peñas Blancas, Birris
and Colorado. They noted that this last one was the perfect
site due ,to its extraordinary height, lack of traffic and
scenic beauty. This is how Tropical Bungee was born, offering
the best sensation to national and foreign tourism. It incorporated
and developed Safety Systems and has set an example in the
local adventure tourism industry.
Victor
Gallo was invited as a judge for the 1996 X-Games
together with a team of jumpers and Max Bercum finishing
in 5th place. Some of the other judges were experienced
bungee operators such as AJ Hackett (New Zealand),
Casey Dale (USA), Matt Lawrence (Canada), Chris Allum
(UK).
Since
its beginning to nowadays, Tropical Bungee is the
foremost bungee jumping company in latin America.
