The coastguard has issued a warning to "tombstoners" after a male was injured jumping into shallow water at Charlestown.
The St Austell Coastguard Team were called to help Cornwall Air Ambulance and South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust with a casualty Charlestown Harbour on Saturday (July 8).
The team worked alongside the ambulance staff to help extract a person injured whilst tombstoning in the harbour.
Once on a stretcher he was transported to hospital by the ambulance service.
Posting the incident on its Facebook page, St Austell Coastguard issued a warning to people to check any depth of water before entering it.
They said the incident happened because the tide was out and the water was not deep enough to jump into.
"Please ensure you check the depth of any water before you enter it, this incident happened due to the tide being out and depth of water was not deep enough to jump in "Always call 999Coastguard for any accident or emergency at the coast."
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According to the Royal Society of Accidents 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 and further resources for those wanting more information.
Why is it dangerous?
Tombstoning offers a high-risk, high-impact experience but it can have severe and life-threatening consequences. This is because:
Water depths alter with the tide – the water may be shallower than it seems.
Submerged objects like rocks may not be visible – these can cause serious impact injuries.
The shock of cold water can make it difficult to swim.
Getting out of the water is often more difficult than people realise.
Strong currents can rapidly sweep people away.
Who is harmed and what type of accidents happen?
Injuries and deaths as a result of tombstoning have been a problem.
Over the five year period 2004-2008 - 139 incidents required a rescue or emergency response, 12 of these ended in a fatality.
Most of those involved in the most serious cases were male (85%).
Teenagers were involved in just over half the cases (55%), followed by those in their 20s (25% with the remainder of incidents involving people aged over 30 years.
All of the known alcohol-related incidents involved males aged over 40 (which accounted for three of the 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. The coastguard has produced a video clip highlighting the consequences.
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