Wow, what a crazy experience!!Here are some fun and fascinating facts about this traditional land diving, called Nagol • The land diving ritual is believed to be the precursor to modern bungee jumping.
• The wooden tower can reach up 98 feet high.
• Vines are used instead of ropes, carefully selected for strength and flexibility.
• Only men participate in the jumps, which are considered a rite of passage in some communities.
• The dive is performed to ensure a good yam harvest and honor ancestral traditions.
• The event draws visitors from around the world, to the remote island of Pentecost, eager to witness this daring cultural spectacle.
• Safety and timing are critical—jumpers calculate vine length to lands safely on the ground.
Before this event, we went to Ekasup Cultural Village experience, learning this villages Kastom (custom) ways and traditions. They still are living the ancient ways, barefoot, no cars, refrigeration, or cell phones. Love this! Discussion of Cannibalism and even Dowry’s for brides are still a thing, which means a young man needs a few mature pigs to offer the new brides parents. He demonstrated unique fishing and hunting techniques, and the differing chores of men vs. women.
We sailed across the Islands to the largest in Vanuatu, Malakula. We anchored in 30 feet of sand in a calm little bay with only one other boat. Port Stanley is a small industrial stop with a few little stalls of foods and fresh fruit and potatoes. The little village across the way still hand carves their canoes from downed palm trees.
We have absolutely fallen in love with Vanuatu. The people and culture are loves! This has to be what the States looked like about 150 years ago.
The people are proud and so friendly. We had another Kava experience with a great village that almost flagged us down as we were sailing by. The children were enamored with Kathy’s white skin. They must have felt her hair for 10 minutes with amazement. 🫢
We gave the locals coloring books, pens, fishing line, hooks and some rope for their cows. (Tied to trees for weed control) 🤷
Our World Adventure 