Bid to break bungee jump world record at Perthshire bridge
- Published
Francois-Marie Dibon began his world-record breaking attempt on Tuesday morning.
A Frenchman who had a fear of heights as a youngster is attempting to break the world record for the number of bungee jumps in 24 hours.
Francois-Marie Dibon will do his final jump at Garry Bridge, Killiecrankie, Perthshire, at 10:00 on Wednesday.
The record is currently held by Mike Heard, who completed 430 jumps at Auckland Harbour Bridge in May 2017.
Mr Dibon, 44, will need to complete a jump every three and a half minutes to break the record.
He said: "I used to be afraid of heights, and bungee jumping is a very good cure.
"I found it's worth the effort to face your fears and overcome them.
"So I decided to put that statement to the test."
Francois-Marie Dibon will have to complete a jump about every 200 seconds to break the record
Mr Dibon, an actuary who works in Stockholm, said it would be his "pleasure to bring the record to Scotland."
He said: "I love Scotland, and the French love the Scottish people. I have an amazing team here and a beautiful site.
"When you're on the edge and you're going to jump, the scenery is very important, and what I see is just wonderful."
As recently as March, Mr Dibon was suffering the equivalent of sea-sickness, due to the constant motion of going up and down on the elasticated bungee cord.
However, he said he overcame this after completing 25 hours a week in the gym, focusing on cardio and core muscle stints, and learning breathing techniques.
He said: "We have been thinking about this for the last five-and-a half years, with ups and downs and some road-blocks on the way.
"Now the karma is good. The stars are aligned."
The Highland Fling Bungee jump-masters are working in four-hour shifts, winching Mr Dibon back up to the platform after every jump.
He said: "When needed, I will rest, we have built this into the plan.
"If there is a slight adjustment required or a bungee cord change, this can take 10 minutes.
"If that happens, I will lie down and take a micro nap."