Before arriving in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I had been spending time in Croatia, enjoying the coastal lifestyle, and indulging in beautiful beaches which had been very relaxing, but I was missing that sense of adventure that keeps me alive. Successfully made the long bus trip from Croatia towards Mostar, BN after dancing the night away in Hvar, a magical and electric Island 50km off the coast of Split, hours before the scheduled departure time. A bus ride that was only meant to only last a few hours was delayed because of the busy thin winding roads and complications at the border crossing.
We departed for Mostar Old town at noon and made our longer than anticipated journey without any Air Conditioning in a crippling heat wave. Entering the bus was like getting hit in the face with heat as if you were entering a sauna. Safe to say, it wasn't the most enjoyable way to nurse off a hangover, but I certainly did sweat out all of the leftover alcohol in my bloodstream! We arrived just past midnight, and I walked down the road to my hostel to get a good night's sleep and prepare for the big day around the corner.
Inspired by one of my favourite Content Creators, TheWontonDon, my foreign correspondents' Professor had made a trip before I even thought of visiting this city, where he was seen jumping off this massive arched bridge. For the entirety of this ride, I was convincing myself to attempt the leap of faith, visualizing the drop, but I didn't have any real idea of what I was getting myself into.
The morning after, I made my walk towards Stari Most, an arched bridge 23M (75 feet) over the Neretva river splitting the city of Mostar which sits lower in a valley surrounded by mountainous landscape. This walking bridge took my breath away as it looked even more intimidating than in the pictures and videos before visiting. Originally built by the Ottoman Empire, and architected by Mimar Hayruddin under the rule of Sultan Bayezid II in the 16th century, which took nine years to build and stood strongly for over 427 years. It. The original stone bridge was destroyed in 1993 during the 18-month conflict of the siege of Mostar but was rebuilt in line with the methods used in the past, finalized in 2002.
I had gone on with my day, as there were many other sites on my list to see on my short scheduled visit, but knew that I’d be returning to achieve what I set myself to accomplish in the days prior! Flash forward, my next meeting with Stari Most took place while we were participating in the Sheva Walking Tour, and toured around the Old and New City of Mostar. Come to find out that Sheva’s first job was being a bridge keeper in the busy months of the summer! Performing dives throughout the day for the entertainment of tourists, but more importantly keeping it safe and clear of all incidents. It was said that he had made the plunge too many times to remember, but dove headfirst a whopping six times, madness.
On the tour, we were instructed that if we’d ever have the desire to make the jump, it was required to always go through the bridge keeper’s club which can be found in the old fortified tower on the left side of the tower named Tara tower. The following day came and it was finally time to turn this fantasy into a reality. I spent the majority of my day, down under the bridge nearing the water looking up at what seemed to be a 100-foot drop and observing the locals getting the crowd going.
They used a unique technique that I had yet seen before bridge and cliff jumping, where one would simply step off the ledge and allow their legs to fold at a 90 degree angle and at times, to the point of touching their back end while keeping their arms out to the side in a shape of a T.
I was told that it was a meter of keeping balance throughout their whole body allowing them to get the best entry into the water. Let me tell you, it certainly did the trick and looked pretty elegant in the process. I had been spending the majority of the afternoon diving off the practice platforms of three heights 6M (20feet), 12M (40 feet) and 20M (65 feet) and meeting other travellers in the process. I’ve always enjoyed pushing my limits when it came to heights so the first two progressions weren't all that much of a hurdle given I had done similar stunts in Canada and most recently outside the walls of Old Town Dubrovnik.
The third platform is a whole different story as I was madly intimated and it was definitely outside of my comfort zone. That is until a couple of young locals made their way down the strongly flowing river, on an inflatable tube with nothing but flip-flops and a plastic bag containing their valuable belongings. Not their first rodeo, and quite an entrance if you ask me. Something about this had shifted my energy and as soon as they had asked if anyone wanted to join them at the top, every ounce of hesitation had left my mind. We made our way
up the three steps of ladders to reach the top where the wind had noticeably picked up, or that could have just been my amygdala acting up. My friend had not only made the jump but also made it look effortless. My time had come. To fully commit to these daring acts, I have a general rule of counting down from three and taking the leap of faith on 1, and so I did.
3,2,1 great success! With the adrenaline flowing and this new height unlocked, I knew that jumping off the bridge was achievable and that I would get it done that afternoon. Luckily, I didn't have to make the walk up to the divers club as my new friend had already rung them to express interest on my behalf.
An older gentleman of the divers club shortly made his way over with a few other interested individuals and practice began to see if we were deemed ‘fit’ to safely make the real dive. Since I had been jumping from the lower platforms for a large portion of the day, he had told me that my test jump would be from the top. So I got back up there and to be frank the height was any less frightening than the time before but dropped in once more. I had in mind that this would only need to be completed a couple of times to ensure you had the consistency, but that was not the case as I had dived 8 times before getting the green light. At this point, my feet were already beginning to be tender from the repetitive contact made with the water with no shoes. Nevertheless, of our class of six divers, three of us got the green light, and so we made our way through the thin stoned alleys to get back to the top of the bridge. Our time had come, and before stepping foot above the rail, he shared with us something quite wise that will be sure to stick with me for years to come. It goes like this: “If you don’t break the water, it will break you”
It was show time, little time to waste at the top of the bridge as we weren't to steal the shine from the bridge keepers who do this for a living. Nonetheless, there was still a good chunk of people that crowded the bridge to watch these few crazy tourists attempt the jump. A few fists bump to go around with my new to my new friends around and told them I’d
meet them down below! Stepping over the ledge, I knew there was no turning back, but it didn't stop my amygdala from firing on all cylinders! I was confident in my abilities and knew I could achieve the jump, but that didn't stop me from being scared.
3,2,1 Jump. Taking that first step off leads your mind to completely clear and instincts take over.
Thankfully, we all completed the jump free of any real injuries and celebrated the new accomplishment with the locals in the divers club followed by a few very well-deserved beers at golden hour.
If you don’t break the water, it will break you. Sometimes when you most fear something, it is the best time to do so.
Would I do it all over again? Absolutely. Will I jump again? Unlikely, but you never know.
Degenerate Diver #3530
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