Why would anyone want to go cliff diving? I remember seeing Elvis Presley diving off a cliff in one of his films and thinking how cool it would be to have a go.
What is cliff diving?
Cliff diving, also known as cliff jumping or tombstoning, is an exhilarating extreme sport where participants leap off tall cliffs into deep bodies of water. It combines thrill-seeking and adrenaline-pumping action with natural beauty.
When I went cliff diving.
The reality of cliff diving was less fun than it looked in the film, and I would advise everyone not to try it. I have done it, although it could have been the last thing I did.
I was on holiday in Jamaica in 1992 and had gone to Ricks Cafe with a couple I had met at my hotel. They were a lovely couple, and he was a goalkeeper for Plymouth Argyle. We sat having lunch and a cocktail, watching the locals diving off the cliff. We decided to jump off the cliff from the lower platform. After we did it, a few locals helped us out and gave us some good-humoured banter about going from the lower tier, telling us that the men went from the top platform.
Unable to resist the challenge, I walked to the top of the cliff, edged out to the diving platform and jumped off. I wasn't foolish, or so I thought. I did a pencil dive, feet first. As I was going down, I remember wondering why I hadn't hit water yet. I tried to look down to see the water below me. As I did, I started twisting in the air and ended up belly-flopping into the water and knocking myself out. Luckily, my new friends dived in and pulled me out. I was severely winded; the Jamaicans helped me climb out, cheered, clapped me on the back, took me back to the bar and bought me a cocktail and a beer.
Cliff Diving, been there, done it, don't advise anyone else to give it a go.