You’ve always loved the idea of bungee jumping, and you’ve even almost made a reservation a time or two, but you always get scared and back out. You figure that if you could just jump with a trusted friend, family member, or partner that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Can you go bungee jumping with two people?
You can go bungee jumping with two people, known as tandem bungee jumping. Tandem bungee jumping works in much the same way as bungee jumping alone does, as you’re weighed before your jump and harnessed together.
If you’re unfamiliar with tandem bungee jumping, this article will tell you everything you need to know. We’ll go over how to do a tandem bungee jump, whether it’s scarier than going alone, and if it costs more than a solo bungee jump.
Let’s get started!
What Is Tandem Bungee Jumping? How Does It Work?
Bungee jumping with two people is referred to as tandem bungee jumping.
It’s a fun way to bungee jump that you can do with a friend, family member, colleague, spouse, or partner.
Rather than jump one at a time, the two of you attach to one harness and experience the whole thing together as it happens.
So how does a tandem bungee jump work, we’re sure you’re wondering? As we mentioned in the intro, tandem bungee jumping isn’t too different from bungee jumping alone.
Since we’re sure you want to fully understand the process, we’ll now provide an overview.
Step 1 – Find a Place to Go Bungee Jumping
If you have a bungee jumping experience in your state, double-check their website or pick up the phone and call to ask if they offer tandem bungee jumping.
Not every company that facilitates solo jumps also provides tandem jumps, so you must know before arriving.
Step 2 – Get Weighed
On the day of your bungee jump, you and your jumping partner will arrive at the site. The staff will then measure the two of you together.
If the staff asks to weigh you again, don’t be alarmed. It’s not that they forgot your weight from the first time. Most bungee jumping companies will weigh you at least twice to ensure more accuracy in their measurement.
After all, how much you and your jumping partner weigh collectively will determine how much bungee cord you need, so it’s important to be doubly sure.
Step 3 – Get into Position
When tandem bungee jumping, the two of you don’t jump singularly from one another. If you did, then once the forces of gravity and air pressure took hold, you could end up colliding with one another and getting hurt.
Instead, you’ll jump as one, which requires you to stand facing one another.
Step 4 – Gear Up
Once you and your jumping partner are in the correct position, the staff will begin prepping you for your imminent bungee jump.
You’ll receive harnesses to wear. The harnesses will usually secure at the ankles and legs, but the staff could use another type of bungee harness.
Each jumper has their own respective harnesses, but the staff will attach them together.
Step 5 – Ascend to the Jumping Point
Next, it’s time for you, your jumping partner, your instructor, and assorted staff to collectively make their way to the jumping point. You might climb to that point or be elevated.
Step 6 – Final Inspection
Before you jump, the staff will check all the harnesses and connection points one last time to ensure that you’re safely connected to the bungee cord and one another.
By the way, you and your partner are harnessed to the same bungee cord, but don’t worry, as it’s tested to handle your collective weight.
Step 7 – Jump!
Now comes the part that everyone has been waiting for, the bungee jumping itself!
If you’ve ever gone bungee jumping alone, you know that you can utilize one of a variety of different jumps. We have a post on just that if you need a recap of the different bungee jumping styles, so make sure you check it out!
It’s harder to pull off many specialized jumps when it’s you and a buddy attached to the same harness.
Rather than focus on being flashy, we recommend listening to your instructor’s advice and jumping how they tell you to.
Step 8 – Go Back to the Platform
You did it! You went bungee jumping with a buddy.
Once you’re done freefalling, the bungee cord will unfurl to its full length and the two of you will just sort of hang out for a few minutes until you’re either brought back up to the platform or lowered to the ground.
From there, the staff will detach your equipment and harnesses while you and your jumping partner catch your breath!
Step 9 – Go Home
Your bungee jumping experience has officially come to an end. Now the two of you can go home and reflect on the amazing memories you made.
You might even plan to go tandem bungee jumping again soon!
The Benefits of Tandem Bungee Jumping
Even knowing how tandem bungee jumping works might not help all your anxieties disappear. Before you make up your mind completely, make sure you check out this section of benefits. You might finally feel inspired to take the plunge, quite literally!
You’re Accountable to Each Other
It’s so easy to put something off ad infinitum when you’re the only one affected by it.
That explains why you’ve never gone bungee jumping alone despite your interest. When you let your fear win, you’re the only one who ends up bummed out that you didn’t go.
Tandem bungee jumping introduces someone else into the equation, and that accountability can go a long way toward assuaging your fears (or at least helping you successfully manage them).
If you want to cancel the jump because you’re afraid, now you’re disappointing someone other than yourself, your bungee jumping partner.
They’ll also feel accountable so that even if they want to cancel out of anxiety, they’ll push through.
Once you actually get to the bungee jumping location and enjoy that experience of freefalling, you might completely change your mind about the bungee jumping experience.
You’ll realize how fun it can be, and all because you didn’t chicken out this time.
It’s Less Scary to Many People
Speaking of your fears, one of the best ways to alleviate them if you’re nervous about jumping alone…is not to jump alone. We know, it sounds so simple, but it works, we promise!
You’ll face your jumping partner through the whole experience, so you can always keep your eyes on them rather than the heights all around you if that makes it easier.
Even the presence of another person when you’re falling through the sky can make bungee jumping not so scary. Try it and see for yourself!
Related Reading: “Is Bungee Jumping Scarier Than Skydiving?”
You’ll Deepen Your Bond
You’ll find that going through the experience of bungee jumping will bring you closer together. The memories that you and your jumping partner make are yours for life.
Whether you want to tighten your bond with a romantic partner, a family member, or a friend, bungee jumping will certainly get the job done!
Is Tandem Bungee Jumping Safer Than Bungee Jumping Alone?
Okay, but you have questions about the safety aspects of tandem bungee jumping. You worry enough about whether a bungee cord can sustain your own weight, and now you’re adding the weight of a second person to the mix.
Just how safe is tandem bungee jumping?
If you read our post on bungee jumping safety, you’ll recall that it was hard enough to come across the stats for solo bungee jumps. It’s even tougher to track down any data for tandem bungee jumps, but we do have some.
Skydive California, with numbers from the United States Parachute Association, reports that out of 500,000 bungee jumps in 10 years, only one fatality occurred.
So tandem bungee jumping isn’t any more dangerous than jumping alone.
We do want to take a moment to address your concerns about the bungee cord. The staff at a bungee jumping company select a cord based on weight. The cord can handle more than your weight, so you get a bit of extra leeway.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re jumping alone or with a partner, a bungee jumping company won’t equip you with a cord that doesn’t meet your weight requirements. To do so would guarantee serious injury or even death and subsequent lawsuits.
Is Tandem Bungee Jumping More Fun Than Bungee Jumping Alone?
Will you enjoy bungee jumping with another person more than you do alone? That’s a question only you can answer!
Tandem bungee jumping is certainly fun since you have someone else there with you to experience everything with, from the anxiety of the climb to the platform to the anticipation when you’re getting your jump instructions, the adrenaline of the jump itself, and then the sensation of falling through the air.
We think that whether you go bungee jumping with another person or by yourself, you can’t go wrong!
Is Tandem Bungee Jumping More Expensive Than Bungee Jumping Alone?
Now here’s a question we can answer more concretely. Since you’re adding another person to the jumping experience, you can usually expect a tandem bungee jump to cost more than a solo jump.
Final Thoughts
Bungee jumping with two people is known as tandem bungee jumping. You and your partner face each other, get harnessed together and attached to a bungee cord, and then jump!
You get to share in all the fears, anxiety, and excitement of the experience, which can make bungee jumping more bearable for a lot of people.
If you’ve put off bungee jumping alone and always wished you could have someone there beside you, especially when jumping, then look into tandem bungee jumping. You and your jumping partner can hold each other accountable so you can finally cross bungee jumping off your must-do list!