Auckland man sets new world record bungy jumping from Harbour Bridge 941 times in one day

Mike Heard is no stranger to bungy jumping for a cause, and now he has just reclaimed the world record for the most jumps in 24 hours. 

He needed to jump more than 765 times - and on top of that, he said he was aiming for another 36 jumps, to beat 800 jumps in a day - all in the name of raising money for the Mental Health Foundation. 

However, he completely smashed his goals and managed to jump 941 times! 

"We were doing 45 and 50 jumps an hour and you know that that slowed down a bit," Mike told Jono and Ben about his experience.

"[We had] some pretty nasty crosswinds. So that lowered the number of them. But yeah, I'm stoked with the total."

And as for how his body is holding up after all of those jumps?

"The mind is clear. My soul is cleansed, but my legs ... I shouldn't have skipped leg day because they've taken a hammering," Mike joked. "My forearms are pretty sore from holding on. But apart from that I'm good."

Heard previously had a crack at the record four times, and last held it in 2017. 

“This is the first time I’ve felt solid nerves and a hint of anxiety on the fringes too,” Heard told First Up before he kicked off his jumps yesterday. 

“I think [it’s] the expectation, this is a big number ... 765, the three previous attempts have been a lot less than that. 

“The first time I broke this record was in 2017, and it was only at 151 jumps. We’ve been doing that in training, and this is a big deal. So I’ve got a pretty big task ahead of me today.” 

Photo / Screengrab

The bungy jump team used two very fast winches to pull him up each time. 

“So no stairs, no boats, just a nice little ride up with an impressive view of the skyline. 

“I hold the Guinness World Record currently today for the most bungy jumps in one hour, that’s something I set in 2011 at 80 jumps. 

“So the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the team at AJ Hackett Bungy are kitted up to do some pretty serious speed, but this is a marathon so we really need to pace ourselves, I’ll be aiming around 40 to 50 jumps an hour.” 

Heard said he had a lucky charm that had been with him for all four record attempts. 

“I’ve got a little mini me, he’s dangling on a little mini bungy cord that I’ve made ... he’ll just hang from the front door of the bungy door under the bridge.” 

His motivation for the task - as well as setting a new world record - was to raise awareness and money for the Mental Health Foundation, he said. 

Listen to Mike's full interview with Jono and Ben above.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission. Additional reporting by The Hits.