Personally, one jump was enough for me; but feel free to have another go if youre that way inclined! Its also a great place to take a photo of the divers in action. The bridge spans the Neretva river in the old town of Mostar, the city to which it gave the name. Check out the view from the Koski Mehmed Paa Mosque 6. This building is where the Mostar Dive Club is based, and, in the daytime, there is usually someone about. This is all a matter of perspective, but Id say its about as safe as it can be. However, most of the jumpers will be from Mostar. If youve heard about the ghosts of Mostar, please share the stories in the comments below! Forget about everyone else around you and listen to what the instructor says. And for those of you who want to know whether theres even been any Mostar bridge jump deaths, unfortunately yes there have been. Thats because you are now an official member of the Mostar Diving Club! They will then walk you round to the 10 meter practice board which is not far in front of the actual bridge. He says that unfortunately this year, none of the long-standing jumpers will dare to perform swallow flight. Once there is sufficient collection, the Mostar bridge jump takes a second. Diving from Mostar bridge has always been a Bosnian tradition, now a tourist attraction . Only then do you really get a feel for how high it is and, with hundreds of eyes watching you from all angles, the pressure really hits you as well. Severe bruising is the most common injury, but too many people also tell about broken bones, dislocated limbs, and even spine injuries. The grounds of the Vatican Museums have witnessed papal conspiracies, a ferocious ambition of rivaling artists, and loads of dark secrets. Page 1 of 2 | Single page The last time I was in the Bosnian and Herzegovinian city of Mostar I stood on the gravel stones beneath the shallow river that winds it's way underneath the Stari Most bridge and watched a 19-year-old Saudi . But as long as you jump, as theyve instructed, youll be fine. A memorial stone located near the Old Bridge in Mostar's Old Town; the stone is one of the original pieces of the Old Bridge, destroyed in 1993. The Ottoman sultan was so tired of unsuccessful bridge building attempts that he threatened to execute every failing architect. However, it really is a cool experience and your money is directly going towards preserving the jobs of the dive team. They will also enter your name into the official record books alongside the hundreds of others who have completed the jump. Most boys jump off Mostar Bridge only once, but then there are the bridge diving enthusiasts who call themselves ikari, after Icaros who fell to his death. It is said that the tradition began just after its inauguration and since 1968 an annual diving tournament is held there. Hell eventually reach his climax of wowing the crowd with a death-defying Stari Most bridge jump. Hundreds of other tourists seemed to descend out of nowhere and get their cameras ready to record the jump. What To Wear On A Longhaul Flight. The dive team there are great people and youre in for a cool adventure! In Summer, the water is at its lowest and so the distance is highest. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Just before sunset, the cream-colored stone surface of Stari Most turns golden, shimmering upon the beautifully renovated old town of Mostar. during the war in 1993 and rebuilt in 2004. . We will ask the City of Mostar to build an indoor swimming pool with a 12-meter jumping platform where children can practice throughout the year, so that we can have five new swallows each year before the jumps Listo says. In my honest opinion, hell yeah, its worth it! Then it's time to jump off the . Mostar's Old Bridge measures 13 feet wide, 98 feet long and over 78 feet high and at one point in history was the largest man-made arch in the world. This technique allows you to remain perfectly straight the whole way down and to counteract any rotation on the way down. You cant miss it. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Recommended. Following this quote, the spokesperson of Mostar jumpers Saa Oruevi, saod that the jumping styles, described by the famous travel writer who is known worldwide, are preserved until today. I hope you can fit it in though - it's such an amazing experience! Mostar is 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. I am happy to report that nearly 400 years later this tradition is still very much alive. They will ask you to keep doing it until you get it just right. More is required if the diving club instructor isnt convinced. What To Pack For Turkey You take a few seconds underwater to think Shit, did I really just do this? If you're in your 50s, just make sure your heart is up to the job - I'm sure it is but it's a bloody scary jump! Of course, tourists are briefed for jumping off safely and accustoming their bodies to the cold. Once youve spoken to the team and decided you definitely want to jump, they will give you a wetsuit and take you out for a few practice jumps. As a part of 1990 Croat-Bosniak conflict, the Old Bridge of Mostar was bombed down by the Croat troops in 1993. They will give you a wetsuit (the water is very cold) and take you to a 10-metre pool diving board for you to practice a couple times. What To Pack For Croatia Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Every year in Mostar, at the end of July, a diving contest is organized from the top of the bridge. Marvel at Stari Most Old Bridge 2. Igor came running down to the river to meet me; You are no horse! But it is now time for the actual jump! Every time I see this bridge, ( I've been there a few times ) I've looked at the daredevills who jumped down. The Little Donkey absolutely loved the bridge, and we decided to sit at one of the little cafes overlooking the bridge and observe it in all its glory. Young men jump from the bridge to the river Neretva. That is, of course, as long as you jump correctly and don't hurt yourself. Every year there are two or three new jumpers from Serbia, Montenegro, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but unfortunately not from Mostar. Thanks! In fact, theres a good chance you will have seen people jumping or diving from the bridge in the past. Special memories of being there! Back then the iconic stone bridge was collapsed, but it didnt hold them back. Water temperature hardly ever reaches 10 degrees, so it will be a cold dip for sure. He entered the competition for the first time in 2000. During hot summer days, local daredevils show-off their bridge jumping skills and dive the dizzying 27 meters into the green waters. It probably shuts around 5ish or 6ish. We need you around! Almost as legendary as the bridge itself is a photo of jumpers jumping from a 27-meter high bridge into the crystal water of the icy Neretva River. Better yet, as you come back above the surface, you are greeted by dozens of spectators clapping and cheering you for your effort. They didn't charge me anything the second time around but were just as friendly (honestly some of the nicest guys I've ever met) and still offered the same safety gear and support. Floods swiped away much of its footpath in December 2000, but once again UNESCO came to help and restored the Crooked Bridge to its former glory. If this is an option for you, I recommend GetYourGuide as they offer some great deals. Tell me about it! Let me know in the comments below! Here is a list of things to do in Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina one of the most diverse places in Europe. Also, Mostar really is a poor town and everything else is incredibly cheap! Local ikari know the art of bridge jumping and the risks. Well, you will splash against the green Neretva River in 3 seconds after jumping off Stari Most. Once youve perfected your technique, theyll take you back up to the bridge for the actual jump. When we jumped in Spring time, it was around 23 meters. Also, be aware that its very deep below the bridge, so theres very little chance of you going so low that you hit bottom. What did he do wrong? . Old Bridge (Stari Most): Mostar Bridge Jump - See 4,348 traveler reviews, 4,333 candid photos, and great deals for Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at Tripadvisor. The guy had cojones. There are many small touristic shops and cafes. They require proof of this at the border to let you in. But in May, when we jumped, it was roughly 22-23 metres high. Bravely jumping off the bridge, they draw large crowds who want to see them perform their death-defying leaps into the Neretva river below. I only jumped with the professional supervision of someone who does this day in day out. For centuries young men have jumped and dived off the 24-metre bridge to impress the local girls (thats not the reason why I did it by the way), but it has only been in the last decade that they have done it for money. You'll find me working out of a cafe in Bali, perhaps on a riverboat in Brazil or maybe even an airport lounge in New Delhi. Mostar Bridge Jump Guide (From Someone Who Jumped). Characteristics. But if you want to do the jump yourself, well, heres everything I learned from my experience. The history of the battles that raged in the area is also of interest. The series' seventh visit to Stari Most bridge marks the start of the second half of the season, and divers will compete from a new platform design inspired by local building tradition. Any thoughts on that? There was a long time tradition of jumping from the top of the bridge, I don't know whether it's still practiced! Facts about the Old Bridge. Ok, so here's an easy step-by-step guide on how to jump from the bridge in Mostar. Afterwards, Ill answer a few of the most common questions (most of which I had myself). If you're trying to find out how to jump from the bridge in Mostar, then feel free to skip ahead to the next section where I tell you exactly how to do it. Subscribe to our travel newsletter here. Excellent. When they deem enough has been collected, they please the crowd by performing an elaborate jump from the bridge, plunging down the 24 meters to the surface of the water its quite a thrilling sight! One of the best things to see in Mostar are the bridge divers. It doesnt leave you many options; I mean, who wants to be a complete failure!? Would you ever be as stupid as me and jump off the bridge at Mostar? CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar was declared as Unesco World Heritage Site in 2005. This is one of the best places to see in early September. John, Vlad, Ricardo and Pierre, thank you. walk on the famous Old bridge. Traditional Mostar Bridge Jumps, which was held for the 456th time this year, were held in the city of Mostar in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two fortified towers protect it: the Helebija tower at north-east and the Tara tower at south-west. Reuters Under measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, only 100 people were. When you jump, widen your arms like wings and hold your core tight, keeping legs together. But lets dig deeper into the history and tragic legends of Stari Most! This is definitely something that not everyone knows about. The bridge stood for 427 years until it was destroyed by Croat forces in the Croat-Bosniak War on November 9, 1993. The divers in action there are two or three new jumpers from Serbia, Montenegro, mostar bridge jump tradition and. Complete failure! jumping skills and dive the dizzying 27 meters into the official mostar bridge jump tradition books the... Meter practice board which is not far in front of the Mostar dive Club is,. 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