Cliff jumping

Particular variations on cliff jumping may specify the angle of entry into the water or the inclusion or exclusion of human-made platforms or other equipment.

Jumping platforms may purpose built or improvised, but they may also be repurposed existing infrastructure such as a railway bridges.

[12] The Tomb of the Diver in Paestum, contains a fresco dating to around 500 to 475 BCE[13] that also shows a person diving into a pool or stream of water[13][14] from a structure.

[15][5] In recent years, injuries and deaths related to cliff jumping has increased calls for responses from local authorities and emergency services.

A reaction to serious injuries and deaths at one popular tombstoning site, Plymouth Hoe, has led to the dismantling of seafront diving boards and closure of parts of the waterfront to discourage the activity.

[18] Impacting with the water surface at this velocity is capable of giving a person temporary paralysis of the diaphragm,[19] a compressed spine, broken bones, or concussion.

[23] For a person weighing 70kg, death can occur when they aspirate one and a half litres of sea water,[23] described as being "...one large inspiration.

"[24] Further that this "...rise in cardiac output and blood pressure can precipitate cardiovascular difficulties... [and] ...In such cases, survival time can be measured in seconds rather than hours.