Bristol man who completed world's first bungee jump off Clifton Suspension Bridge dies

  • David Kirke performed the world's first bungee jump in 1979

The man who completed the world's first bungee jump has died aged 78.

David Kirke and his friends jumped off the Clifton Suspension Bridge, in Bristol on 1 April 1979, after being inspired by the 'land-divers' on the island of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific.

Their act inspired the modern-day sport of bungee jumping which is now enjoyed by daredevils all over the world.

Mr Kirke was one of the founders of Oxford's Dangerous Sports Club, a group of adventurers and extreme sports pioneers based in Oxford and London.

Wearing a top hat and tails — and a mask over his face so his mother wouldn't recognise him in the newspapers — he was the first of his friends to jump off Isambard Kingdon Brunel's 245ft (76m) bridge.

He was quickly followed by three other members of the group, who were all connected to the bridge with elasticated cords.

The four were hauled back up by friends and afterwards were arrested by police.

Bungee jumping off the 150-year-old bridge is now prohibited by by-laws.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, staff at Clifton Suspension Bridge paid tribute to "a master of mischief."

Mr Kirke jumped from the bridge again in 2000 to mark the sport's 21st birthday. Credit: ITV West Country

Speaking to ITV West Country on the 40th anniversary of bungee jumping, Mr Kirke said jumping off the bridge was "an extraordinary sensation."

"When the other guys came down, I thought 'whoopee,' nobody's dead. It was a sort of, fairly casual, easy-going recklessness," he added.

Following the stunt in 1979, members of the Dangerous Sports Club went on to perform jumps all around the world, including in Japan and the USA.

The concept quickly spread, inspiring AJ Hackett who developed the sport in 1988 in his home country of New Zealand, making it the unofficial home of bungee jumping.

Mr Kirke went on to try other extreme sports, including Microlighting.

He was even fired from an aircraft launcher in Ireland, breaking his spine in three places.

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