I had always wanted to do it. Jumping off a cliff. Sure, I had gone bungy jumping before, but this is completely different. You’re on your own – there’s no operator making sure that everything is okay.
My first chance to jump off a cliff was pretty special for me. Not only was it in the beautiful Oahu, Hawaii, but we probably would never have found it/done it if it wasn’t for a local Couchsurfer bringing us out there and showing us the way. And to top the cake… it was the same waterfall/cliff jump as in Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” music video (which is one of my favorite songs)!!
The cliff jump was at Maunawili Falls, a muddy path where we hiked mostly with our flip flops off and toes full of… mud. When we got to the falls, it was a cute secluded area with a small rock with water falling off the sides, and then to the side, a higher area where we noticed people were climbing. Luckily, our local guide knew exactly how to reach the area from which we’d need to jump for our 50 foot cliff jump.
Watching people jump, it didn’t seem that bad and in fact, it looked like fun! As I followed our guide up the path, it was a slippery, narrow path, and actually it wasn’t safe to climb back down even. The only way down was to jump. After I watched my friend jump, I went to the same spot, and held onto the branch as I peered over the edge. It. was. frightening.
I hadn’t realized how high it really seemed, and again, with nothing to hold me back, fear began to pulse throughout my body. But I couldn’t back down anymore. I just had to do it. So I held my breath, and just went for it, and JUMPED.
The fall went pretty quickly. And it wasn’t that terrible at all. The worst part is just the initial act of jumping off the cliff. Actually, the worst part was my friend didn’t capture the jump on camera, so I had to climb up to do it AGAIN, as if the first time wasn’t frightening enough. (Although really the worst part was the aftermath… I had a bruise along the entire side of my leg for a week after my jump -__-)
I would definitely do it again! I do enjoy the thrill of jumping off the cliff, as long as plenty of other people jump ahead of me and I’m assured that it’s safe to do so. I’m just glad that my first experience was in such a lovely location and I can’t wait for the next chance to jump!