▲Set right in the heart of South Africa, the 216-m (708-ft) Bloukrans Bridge in the Western Cape was where 96-year-old Mohr Keet jumped. The oldest person to perform a bungee jump, he set a Guinness World Record.

▲The Bloukans River Bridge was the first bridge to be bungee jumped off in Africa.

▲Most southern hemisphere bungee jumping operators use an unbraided cord with exposed latex strands that gives an extended, longer bounce.

▲Commercial bungee jumping was born on the Kawarau Bridge near Queenstown in 1988. It's here that New Zealand entrepreneur A.J. Hackett established the world’s first permanent commercial bungee site. Every year tens of thousands make the 43-m (141-ft) jump.

▲Bungee operators use different cords. The elastic rope first used in bungee jumping was factory-produced braided shock cord, consisting of many latex strands enclosed in a tough outer cover.

▲Bungee jumping from the bridge at Victoria Falls, between Zambia and Zimbabwe, into the Zambezi Gorge. This is one of the most rewarding places to bungee jump off, with the platform often shrouded in mist from the thundering nearby falls.

▲The Auckland Sky Tower today is a popular jumping venue with enthusiasts.

▲Bungee jumping is so named after the strong elasticated cords. The word "bungee" originates from a dialect in West Country (southwestern England), meaning "anything thick and squat."

▲In 1987, A.J. Hackett achieved global fame after he successfully jumped from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The daredevil is pictured here leaping off Auckland's Sky Tower, falling approximately 190 m (623 ft) to break the world record for bungee jumping off the top of a building.

▲However, bungee jumping properly began in New Zealand, off Auckland’s original Greenhithe Bridge in 1986.

▲Bungee jumping in Sudogawa Valley, Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

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In fact, A.J. Hackett is credited with popularizing the extreme sport of bungee jumping.

▲Jumper Carl Dionisio used hundreds of condoms for his bungee cord when he made a 30-m (100-ft) jump in South Africa.

▲A bungee jumper plummets towards the ground during a jump at Chelsea Bridge in London, England.

▲The United Kingdom’s other occasional premiere bungee jump site is off a 48 m (160 ft) platform in Datchet, Berkshire.

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Ever heard of a "bungee bet?" Financial traders refer to bungee bets when an investment that by all accounts appears sunk suddenly bounces back into profit. Pictured: A "businessman" dives off the Victoria Falls bridge wearing a shirt, tie, and clutching a briefcase in one hand.

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Jumping as the sun sets over Seminyak beach, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

▲While bungee jumping traditionally takes place off a static platform, it’s also possible to jump from a movable object, such as a hot-air balloon or helicopter.

▲Jochen Schweizer of Germany jumps off the Danube Tower in Vienna to open a new bungee center in May, 2001.

▲A man dressed as Father Frost, the Russian equivalent to Santa Claus, makes a bungee jump from a bridge across the Yenisei River in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

▲According to Guinness World Records, the highest commercial bungee jump facility in the world is 370.25 m (1,214 ft), and is located on the Balinghe Bridge in Huangguoshe, China.

▲Despite the inherent risk in jumping from a great height, several million successful jumps have taken place since 1980.

▲In fact, there have only been a handful of deaths reported. Injuries including dislocations, rope burn, back injuries, and eye trauma, are the mishaps that are more likely to ruin your day.

▲Some jumpers choose to launch themselves off a platform by running horizontally with a cord attached in a show of strength, fitness, and agility.

▲But bungee jumping has been proven to increase stress levels and affect the immune system.

▲An enthusiast makes a bungee jump on Beirut's Corniche in 2016.

▲Land diving is a ritual performed by the men on Pentecost Island, one of the 83 islands that make up the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)

▲Land jumping, or "vine jumping," sparked the imagination of thrill-seekers in the West, who were intrigued by this ancient rite of passage.

▲A man bungee jumps from the 51-m (170-ft) Transporter Bridge, which is not only the highest bridge in the United Kingdom, but also the only regular bridge jump in the British Isles.

▲Carried out without any safety equipment, the land diving tradition has developed into a Vanuatu tourist attraction. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)

▲The precursor to bungee jumping, the men jump off wooden towers around 20-30 m (68-98 ft) high, with two tree vines wrapped around their ankles. The platforms are set at several different heights, with the most experienced diver jumping from the top. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)

▲Students from the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club carried out the world's first bungee jump off the Clifton Suspension Bridge (pictured) in Bristol, England, on April 1, 1979.

▲Many regard the High Steel Bridge in Washington as one of the most beautiful bungee jumping spots in the USA.(Photo: Wikimedia/CC0 1.0)

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Bungee jumping is about as extreme as it gets. Why would anyone deliberately fling themselves off a bridge, cliff edge, building, or crane, with little more than a glorified rubber band attached to their ankles?

Thousands of thrill seekers take this giant leap of faith, happy to take the plunge for the adrenaline rush of hurtling towards the ground at an insane speed with only an elasticated cord to break their fall.

Browse the gallery for a brief history of this insane sport and take a look at jumpers caught mid-air along the way.