How Safe Is It to Climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge?

The Sydney Harbor Bridge is one of the greatest feats of engineering on the face of the earth. Besides being one of the most sophisticated suspension bridges in the world, it is also one of the most beautiful and offers a great view of Sydney that you cannot get anywhere else–making it one of the city’s top tourist destinations.

The Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb is an exhilarating and adrenaline-pumping tourist activity. The adventure requires you to climb along the suspension railings of the bridge, placing you hundreds of feet above the majestic Sydney harbor. Yes, this may seem scary to walk along a very narrow walkway, knowing that it is suspended more than a hundred meters above the sea, but rest assured–you are perfectly safe. If even the many wedding reception venues Sydney send their guests up the bridge, you can imagine it is fine.

Safety Equipment

Safety is the number one priority of the Sydney Bridge Climb crew, which is why they will provide each and every one of their customers with all of the necessary safety equipment before commencing on tours. One basic piece of safety gear that you will get for your bridge climb experience is a comfortable “bridge suit” that is loose enough to be worn over your clothes, but not so much that it can easily get snagged on the hundreds of protruding parts of the bridge. You also get a latch, or slider, that attaches to the bridge suit, as well as to a static line on the bridge, so you can go on your unique Sydney Harbor adventure with ease of mind.

Weather Protection

The Bridge Climb operates every day in almost all weather conditions (they suspend tours only during electrical storms, or when the wind on top of the bridge is too strong for climbers). For climbs on slightly rainy days, climbers are provided with a ‘weather shell’ and a Bridge Fleece Jacket that you can wear over your
bridge suit so you remain dry and warm even in slightly uncomfortable weather.

Medical Requirements

Before you go on with your Bridge Climb tour, you first need to take a couple of medical exams to determine if you are healthy enough to accomplish the bridge climb safely. Here are a few of the requirements you need to meet before you are actually allowed onto the Sydney Harbor Bridge:

• A reasonable level of physical fitness
• The ability to be able to climb on your own without any trouble whatsoever
• The ability to be able to walk without the help of any aids such as canes, walkers, etc.
• Full body control, and also good hand-eye-foot coordination
• Women may not be more than 24 weeks pregnant, if she is not that far along, she will still need a doctor’s permit to climb the bridge
• Bridge climbers must not be missing any limbs like an arm or a leg; even with prosthetics one will not be allowed to participate on the bridge climb

These are just some of the medical requirements you need to fulfill before you are cleared for the Sydney Bridge Climb tour; the list may be a bit long but this is all done for the safety of the participants.

With all of these safety measures in place, you can rest assured that your Bridge Climb experience will not only be an exhilarating one, but also a safe one at that.