The moment a daredevil 'tombstoned' into Dead Man's Cove
30th May 2007
Daily Mail
A dangerous summer craze known as "tombstoning" is catching on in Devon, prompting the emergency services to issue early warnings about the daredevil activity.
One such daredevil was captured on camera jumping off Plymouth Hoe into Dead Man's Cove by keen amateur photographer John Baker.
Amateur photographer John Baker's composite image of a daredevil 'tombstoning' from Plymouth Hoe in Devon
He has produced a composite image covering a jump of about 65 feet using shots taken as he was taking a quick lunch break on the Hoe.
"It was just opportunistic. I saw some lads tombstoning. They were in wetsuits and trainers," he said.
"One of them was jumping from road level and I managed to take a set of eight pictures which I have, combined into a single image."
Tombstoning got its name from the practice of jumping off a high rock into water of unknown depth.
It has already has led to a string of injuries in recent years and emergency services say there is a high risk of participants suffering permanent injuries or even death.
The ambulance service was planning to issue a warning about the activity in its water safety campaign starting in late July
"Incidents mostly take place in the summer holidays," said Brixham coastguard Andy Huber.
"The dangers are hidden. With the tide going in and out, you never know how deep the water is - it may only be a couple of feet. You have to be wary of what's underwater."
There have been reported no casualties so far this season.
But the warnings won't deter the tombstoners, according to Dr Yaniv Hanoch of the University of Plymouth Psychology Department.
"It's not that the teenagers and adults are not aware of the risks involved," said Dr Hanoch.
"They just undervalue them in favour of the thrill of the moment."
dailymail.co.uk
30th May 2007
Daily Mail
A dangerous summer craze known as "tombstoning" is catching on in Devon, prompting the emergency services to issue early warnings about the daredevil activity.
One such daredevil was captured on camera jumping off Plymouth Hoe into Dead Man's Cove by keen amateur photographer John Baker.
Amateur photographer John Baker's composite image of a daredevil 'tombstoning' from Plymouth Hoe in Devon
He has produced a composite image covering a jump of about 65 feet using shots taken as he was taking a quick lunch break on the Hoe.
"It was just opportunistic. I saw some lads tombstoning. They were in wetsuits and trainers," he said.
"One of them was jumping from road level and I managed to take a set of eight pictures which I have, combined into a single image."
Tombstoning got its name from the practice of jumping off a high rock into water of unknown depth.
It has already has led to a string of injuries in recent years and emergency services say there is a high risk of participants suffering permanent injuries or even death.
The ambulance service was planning to issue a warning about the activity in its water safety campaign starting in late July
"Incidents mostly take place in the summer holidays," said Brixham coastguard Andy Huber.
"The dangers are hidden. With the tide going in and out, you never know how deep the water is - it may only be a couple of feet. You have to be wary of what's underwater."
There have been reported no casualties so far this season.
But the warnings won't deter the tombstoners, according to Dr Yaniv Hanoch of the University of Plymouth Psychology Department.
"It's not that the teenagers and adults are not aware of the risks involved," said Dr Hanoch.
"They just undervalue them in favour of the thrill of the moment."
dailymail.co.uk
