The 'shore' of the east end of The Promenade.
At Neap Tides High Tide water depth here will be about 4 feet above the rough concrete skirt and the present sand beach (which is moving all of the time); between the ramp and the sand it is a rough stone of broken killas and granites. In that are steel frames, dumped bikes and other dangers. Even Medium Tides gives no more than 6 feet. This is what I am concerned about.
Tombstoning can be exhilerating - but it can be fatal.
Risk is an element in experiencing life to a full.
The plain fact is though, no one can be sure of the angle of entry into the water and just how far into the water the body will drop.
It depends upon so many factors not studied with personal safety in mind.
How many consult Tide Tables, know the depth of water, the currents acting at the time of the jump,
and very importantly,
how many know just what lies beneath the surface of that water and at what depth.
All manner of 'crazy stunts' are performed by people - BUT, they know what they are doing and they have a back up ready.
They are fit and trained.
Bad entry posture can damage organs, can damage feet, can cause joint damage;
from lower heights such as the Promenade the worst damage is not a threat
(that of the spine being driven up through the skull).
Experienced jumpers have coughed up blood after a misjudged entry, as their lungs were
damaged by the sudden pressure.
All of this must be born in mind when diving off these low level points just for practice or just for fun.
It is all too easy to get into the mindset that 'I'll be alright'.
Cliff jumping ends in entry at between 40 and 60 miles per hour - 70 mph and a flat entry means death. Painful.
Entry from the Promenade at this east end will allow for comparatively slow speeds. But on what?
The other west end of the Promenade is higher out of the water and offers much safer jumping,
although the east end of the berm does have the remnants of an iron pier,
but the youngsters keep well away from that - enjoy yourselves by all means, but stay alive and in one piece.
I have seen what happens when a lively nineteen your old is killed through irresponsible 'fun', such a terrible waste of a life.
Raymond Forward
