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Tombstoning

Monday, 24 May 2010

Tombstoning involves jumping or diving from a height into water.

It is a high-risk activity, which is unregulated and undertaken by unsupervised individuals.

Tombstoning is an activity which has occurred around the coast for generations, unfortunately over recent years it has gained attention for the wrong reasons, with a number of people killed or seriously injured. The title was adopted because of the way a person falls and plunges into deep water, in a similar way a stone would. This page offers some essential advice for those considering tombstoning..

Tombstoning can be dangerous because:

Water depth alters with the tide; the water may be shallower than it seems
Submerged objects like rocks may not be visible; they can cause serious injury if you jump onto them
The shock of cold water may make it difficult to swim
Strong currents can rapidly sweep people away

Think before you jump. Don't let alcohol, drugs or peer pressure affect your judgement. Even if you are jumping safely, children may be watching and copy your actions.

Since 2005 there have been 10 deaths and 36 serious injuries due to Tombstoning.

Who is harmed and what type of accidents happen?

Injuries and deaths as a result of tombstoning are a growing problem. Over the five year period 2004-2008 - 139 incidents required a rescue or emergency response, 12 of these ended in a fatality. We looked at 41 of the most serious cases in more detail, of these:

Males were mostly involved (85%)
Teens were involved in just over half the cases (55%), followed by those in their 20s (25%) with the remainder of incidents involving people aged 30-40 years-old
All of the known alcohol-related incidents involved males above 40-years-old (25% of all fatal incidents)
Of the non-fatal incidents, spinal and limb injuries (both at 20%) were most commonly reported

Many of the non-fatal incidents have resulted in life-changing injuries and they required significant resources from the rescue services. Young and older fathers were among the fatalities, along with at least three teenagers.

What the local press say Read more

Still not convinced? Watch the video

Don't jump into the unknown.

Last Updated ( Sunday, 30 May 2010 )

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