Dockyard tomorrow.

Daredevils will be paying to plunge 140 feet with only a piece of elastic preventing them having a deep encounter with the water in the North Basin.

Weather permitting the first bungee jumper should leap from the 160-foot high crane, close to Marine Electronics at 12 noon.

Bungee jumping originated in New Zealand where people fling themselves off bridges hundreds of feet into deep ravines with elastic chords fastened around their ankles. Once the end of the chord is reached it flings the body back up into the air a number of times before finally coming to a rest. The person is then rescued by boat.

It has taken off all around the world and now cranes are used where there are no geographical features high enough.

The first bungee jump in Bermuda is the brainchild of Bermudians Mr. Nick Moore and Mr. Stuart Kirkpatrick with help from US experts Mr. Jim Townsend and Mr. Hennes Hunt.

Neither Mr. Moore nor Mr. Kirkpatrick have jumped before but they intend to be two of the first off the crane.

Mr. Moore said: "We were approached about starting this by a former member of the Golden Knights the American freefall parachute team. I am ex-British Army so he knew I might be interested. This was 18 months ago and we have been looking into it ever since.'' It meant 18 months of preparation investigating costs, safety, insurance and licensing with authorities in the United Kingdom. Most of the equipment was imported in early July including the specially made New Zealand style bungee chord which is made in the United States. Everything has moved rather quickly since then.

Mr. Moore said: "I tried to get on a bungee jump in the United Kingdom but I could not. It is something I wanted to bring over to Bermuda.

"There are several people in Bermuda who have done it before and I think there will be a lot of people who will want to try it. Even if people do not swarm to it at first I think we will probably build up business.'' Mr. Townsend ran a similar operation in Philadelphia and had around 130 customers each day.

The group expect to operate from Wednesday to Sunday each week from noon until 7 p.m. each day.

Mr. Moore said they expect to close down in October at the end of the tourist season and when weather conditions get a little worse, unless there is a demand to keep the jump open later.

Technical expert Mr. Townsend said that the drop is around 140 feet over 35 feet of water. Few people should touch the water.

He said: " You have to be fairly experienced to jump and touch the water to be honest. One or two people might touch the water depending on the conditions.'' One leap will cost $65 which compares favourably with prices in the United States where jumps range from $40-$100 a time. Mr. Townsend said there will be bonus for "frequent fliers'' -- a free jump every time you complete three.

Although there was a display similar to bungee jumping at the 1992 Agricultural Show, it was only 15-feet high and jumpers were strapped around the waist instead of the ankles.