There is an island in the South Pacific, Pentecost Island, that is part of the Vanuatu nation.

They have a tradition, called "land diving", that is the root of what we today know as "Bungee Jumping"

Young men of Pentecost Island performed, and are still performing, the "land diving" ritual as a rite of passage to prove their manhood.

The ritual is quite simple. 

Build a tower, 
pick two vines, 
climb to the top of the tower, 
tie the vines'  ends to your ankles and the other ends to the tower... 
and then jump.

Quite simple...

Or is it?

Wooden towers of a 100 feet high is used in the ritual. The islanders build these towers themselves, using bamboo/wood and vines to construct it.

The whole act of building the tower is an exact science and certain rules must be strictly followed.

To build such a structure the wood must be strong and as such only freshly cut bamboo or wood is used.

Vines are used as jump ropes. To ensure that these "ropes" do not snap only fresh vines are used.

These vines must be elastic and as such must have a very high sap content.

The selection process is of utmost importance and the responsibility of a trusted village elder.

Needless to say, this selection process is of utmost importance. One kilogram of excess weight or a faulty vine can lead to a diver's very young demise!

These loops are slipped around the ankles of the divers.

The divers then dive from the towers, attached only by the ankles.

There are no nets, no safety harnesses, no "soft impact" zones such as water.

The diver's intention is to go as high as possible and then to stop as low as possible.

Gently tapping the ground with your head after a 100 feet dive... not too much to ask, is it?

In 1977, on the the 1st of April to be exact, four members of Oxford University's Dangerous Sports Club performed the very first modern Bungee Jump.

They jumped from Clifton suspension bridge, a 250 foot high structure.

Bungee, a British slang term for "Indian Rubber", went into a state of hibernation.

In the 1980's it became a sport and business but it did not return to British soil until the 1990's.