thumb|right|200px|A person jumping off a cliff in Arizona. 2013

Cliff jumping is the leaping off a cliff edge, usually into a body of water, as a form of sport. It may be done as part of the sport of coastal exploration or as a standalone activity. 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. Cliff jumping and its close relative tombstoning are specific to water landing (with diving usually implying a head-first entry and tombstoning implying a feet-first entry). Cliff jumping with the use of a parachute would typically be classified as a form of BASE jumping.

Cliff jumping has inherent dangers due to the high velocity that can be attained during a long fall and multiple cliff jumping deaths are reported every year.

In 2015 a world record for cliff jumping was set by Laso Schaller, with a jump of 58.8 m (193 ft).

Major variants

Tombstoning

thumb|right|200px|A jump from a 10 metre diving platform that has been performed by taking a running start. A running start increases the difficulty of the jump and the chances that the person may over rotate and impact the water with their stomach or back instead of their feet. The activity's name derives from a similarity between this posture and the form of a [[tombstone.

Platform jumping

thumb|upright|Cliff jumping as part of a coasteering adventure near [[Porthclais.]]

An alternative to a cliff as a launch point is a human-made platform. Jumping platforms may be purpose built or improvised, but they may also be repurposed existing infrastructure such as a railway bridges.

Art

In the Tomb of Hunting and Fishing, there is a wall painting from around 530 to 500 BCE

that shows a person climbing rocks towards a cliff face and a second person diving down the cliff face towards water.

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

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File:Tomb of hunting and fishing, Monterozzi necropolis, Tarquinia, Italy.jpg|Fresco. Tomb of Hunting and Fishing. Monterozzi necropolis, Tarquinia, Italy. Around 530 - 500 BCE

File:The Tomb of the Diver - Paestum - Italy.JPG|Fresco. Tomb of the Diver. Paestum, Italy. 470 BCE

</gallery>

Injuries and deaths

In the UK between 2004 and 2008, cliff jumping lead to 139 incidents in which a rescue or emergency response was required. Spinal injuries occurred with 20% of these, and 12 people died.

Dangers

Impact with water

thumb|right|200px|Lakeside diving platforms in Strandbad Utting am Ammersee, Germany. 2009

Water resistance increases with the speed of entry, so entering the water at high-velocity induces rapid and potentially dangerous deceleration. Jumping from a height of 20 feet (6.1 m) results in a person impacting with the water surface at 25 mph (40 km/h). and if a person hits the water flat from 10 metres they are brought to rest in about 30&nbsp;cm (1&nbsp;ft). The deceleration from hitting the water flat from 10 metres can cause severe bruising both internally and externally, strains to connective tissue securing the organs and possible minor hemorrhaging to lungs and other tissues, possibly resulting in a person coughing up blood.

In 1989 a 22 year-old died from a broken neck after trying to backflip from "about 60 feet" (18 metres).

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A person can die when they aspirate into their lungs 22 ml of sea water per kilo of body mass. 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."

Currents and exiting the water

As with any other water-based activity, strong currents and rough waves can make timely exit from the water impossible and can lead to drowning whilst cliff faces and sea walls can also make climbing out of the water impossible.

Famous jumpers

Sam Patch became the first famous stunt performer in America after successfully jumping from a height of more than 80 feet from a raised platform into the Niagara River near the base of Niagara Falls in 1829.

thumb|upright|A jump off the cliffs of [[Guffey Gorge (Colorado)|Guffey Gorge]]

  • Ponte Brolla, Switzerland
  • Playa Forti, Curaçao
  • Diving Board Island, Bermuda
  • South Point, Hawaii, United States
  • Negril, Jamaica
  • Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas, United States
  • Clarence Cove, Bermuda
  • Nusa Lembongan, Bali
  • Laie Point, Hawaii, United States
  • La Quebrada, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
  • Amoudi Bay, Greece

See also

  • Seatrekking
  • Coasteering

References

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Sources