Jumping for joy

Jumping 100ft from a cliff to the water seems foolhardy when you write it down. It really does. I acknowledge this and appreciate it.

But come on people, some of the most dangerous things in life are the most exhilarating. Jumping out of a plane, abseiling up a sheer rock face, catching a 20 foot wave with reef glistening just a couple of inches under the water below you - taking part in any of these pursuits can kill you. But it’s undeniable they also make you feel more alive.

The vast majority of people taking part in extreme sports do so where they know it’s ‘safe’. By safe I mean where it’s been done more than once before (successfully!) and with other people around them who are experienced.

The tombstoner most recently in the press (click on the link to vote in the poll) for jumping off a cliff in the West Cornwall did so whilst being photographed and videoed – now as much as I would love to believe this dude balanced his camera on a grassy knoll with a rock wobbling on the shutter and then set up his video cam to record his plummet, I would hazard to guess that he wasn’t in fact alone.

These guys more-than-likely scouted the location previously, checked the tides, and by doing so, the depth of the water he was jumping into. No-one wants footage of a guy jumping in to, at best a couple of legs in plaster, at worst his death.

Those who injure themselves doing extreme sports are 90% of the time rookies – people who don’t understand or take hindrance to the risks.

I recently had a long conversation with the Editor of the Cornishman about the morals of printing the picture, condemned by emergency services, on the front page of the paper. She was concerned it could be construed as encouraging copycats to either the sport or the location. My stance is picture or not, those who want to jump will jump. 100 foot is a long way down - only those who understood what they are doing would attempt it.

And as so far as encouraging children whose understanding is less, and sense of immortality increased, the answer certainly isn’t to ban. Banning simply increases curiosity and forces them to unknown, unsupervised areas. The answer, my friends, is education – always education.

So join a coasteering class and learn all about it. As for the guy in the picture – good luck to him.