This weekend it seemed everyone rushed to the coast to soak up some rays and have some fun. But tombstoning is already back in the news after two people hurt themselves in separate incidents yesterday.
BBC News: Man injured in ‘tombstoning dive’
We have briefly mentioned the dangers of diving or jumping off piers, and if you feel the urge to do so you really should check the water depth before you go for it. The safety section will have more information on the dangers of piers very soon.
BBC News: Man hurt in ‘tombstoning’ plunge
Jumping in to the sea from cliffs can be very dangerous. But you can make it much safer with just a bit of preparation. Checking the water below is a must otherwise you have no idea what you are jumping in to.
Dave Scullion, from Brixham Coastguard says…
Tombstoning is madness whichever way you look at it. An individual has no real idea what’s under the water they are jumping in and the tidal flows alter the depth of water dramatically.
I can fully understand his point of view; the more people he can deter from tombstoning, the less likely an accident is. But I disagree with the detail. An individual can have a very real idea what’s under the water they are jumping in, if they just check it out first.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:59 am
As a regular tombstoner, I cannot believe people jump into water they have not checked…it is a shame it gets the tombstoning label. It took us weeks to ‘map out’ our local jump and we will often re-check.
It seems that the activity of jumping into water and hurting yourself has been labelled as Tombstoning.
June 5th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
In the rest of the world it’s called cliff diving. The fact that we have lost over 3/4 of all diving facilities in the country makes it the only way most people ever get the thrill of diving!
Great isn’t it, we’ll shut the diving boards all around the country for ’safety’ and then people will be safe, or at least we won’t be responsible for them!!
June 9th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
A very valid point. In 99.9% of cases we enter the water feet first. One of our group has some diving experience, but even she rarely dives above 15 foot.
I love diving, but it adds inherent risks that are not worth it.