The elastic rope first used in bungee jumping, and still used by many commercial operators, is factory-produced braided shock cord. This is comprised of many latex strands enclosed in a tough outer cover. The outer cover may be applied when the latex is prestressed, so that the cord's resistance to extension is already significant at the cord's natural length. This gives a harder, sharper bounce. The braided cover also provides significant durability benefits. Other operators, including A J Hackett and most southern-hemisphere operators, use unbraided cords in which the latex strands are exposed. These give a softer, longer bounce, and can be home-produced.

Although there is a certain elegance in using only a simple ankle attachment, the many accidents in which participants have become detached led many commercial operators to use a body harness, if only as a backup for an ankle attachment. Body harnesses are generally derived from climbing equipment rather than parachute equipment.

Retrieval methods vary according to the site used. Mobile cranes provide the greatest recovery speed and flexibility, the jumper being lowered rapidly to ground level and detached. Many other mechanisms have been devised according to the nature of the jump platform and the need for a rapid turn-around.

The Guinness Book of World Records states the highest commercial bungee jump is off of the Bloukrans River Bridge, 40km east of Plettenberg Bay in South Africa. This jump takes place from a platform below the roadway of the bridge, and the height from the platform to the valley floor is a terrifying 216m (709 feet). There is another commercial bungee jump currently operation in which claims to be slightly higher at 220m (722 feet). This jump is located near Lucarno, Switzerland in takes place from the top of the Verzasca Dam. This jump was prominently featured in the begining scene of the James Bond film Goldeneye.

One commercial jump higher than either took place from Colorado's Royal Gorge Bridge, in conjunction with the 2005 Go Fast Games. The height of the platform was 321m (1053 feet). However, this opportunity lasted for only three days, and it is unclear if it will be repeated in future games.

Via: WIkipedia
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.