HM Coastguard issue fresh warning after tombstoner is rescued
HM Coastguard has issued a fresh safety warning after footage is released of young tombstoner who was injured after jumping into the sea from cliffs at North Landing yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday afternoon HM Coastguard was alerted to a group of young men jumping from the cliffs at North Landing, Flamborough, and one of the men had injured himself and was in the water.
As ever, our message is; keep safe, but if you see anybody in trouble or if you get into difficulty, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
Yesterday afternoon HM Coastguard was alerted to a group of young men jumping from the cliffs at North Landing, Flamborough, and one of the men had injured himself and was in the water.
The
Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Humberside, Bridlington Coastguard Rescue
Team and the Flamborough RNLI inshore lifeboat were sent to the scene to locate and rescue
the injured man.
Bev
Allen, HM Coastguard Controller based at Humber Coastguard Operations Centre
(CGOC) said: “Jumping
from piers, cliffs, rocks or other structures into the sea can be very
dangerous - there's a reason we refer to it as tombstoning. The depth of water can dramatically change with the tide and you don’t
know what hazards may be lurking under the surface until you are hurt or
worse. The shock of cold water may make it difficult to swim to safety
and strong currents can quickly sweep people away.
"On this occasion the man involved was very lucky
that his mate knew to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. He did exactly the right thing. My team kept the
caller on the line until the injured man was found. The man had managed to climb onto a rock ledge just
above the waterline. The lifeboat crew were then able to recover him safely. Thankfully, despite his ordeal he had only suffered minor cuts and bruises.”
HM Coastguard advice is that if you do want to jump
from height into the sea we would advise people join a coasteering group with a
professional and reputable adventure centre.
As ever, our message is; keep safe, but if you see anybody in trouble or if you get into difficulty, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.