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Posted by on Dec 10, 2015 in TellMeWhy |

What Is Tombstoning?

What Is Tombstoning?

Tombstoning is the act of jumping in a straight vertical posture into the sea or other body of water from a high jumping platform, such as a cliff. This posture of the body, resembling a tombstone, gives the activity its name.

Depending upon where there are cliffs, this can be extremely dangerous because of the height of the cliff. There are some things for kids to know when deciding to take a jump. No one should jump into the water without knowing all of the details.

Tides need to be considered as the water depth can change quickly. When jumping 10 meters, it can take 5 meters of water in order to absorb the full fall. If the water is only 3 meters, this can lead to a number of injuries and potentially even death.

When there are caves and other issues in the neighboring area, it may be impossible for a person to get out of the water upon jumping in. There may be cliffs all around, which would require a very long swim in order to find a shore line.

When there are currents and other issues, it may be virtually impossible for a person to swim long enough to get out – which means they have to tread long enough for a rescue boat to come for them.

Content for this question contributed by Tacy LaDuke, resident of Chicopee, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA