View Full Version : Tombstoning......Errr Why??????
DanDare
13-05-08, 11:05 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7398041.stm
Now perhaps its cos I live near the coast and may hear about it a lot more, but why oh why do these idiots do this.
There's loads of people becoming disabled due to spinal injuries so why do they continue to do it?
Why not try skydiving without a chute! :smt075
Because it provides quite a nice rush of adrenalin and really isnt all that dangerous.
People could say the same thing about people who ride bikes for fun, certainly in ratio terms its classes as just as dangerous or even more so.
DanDare
13-05-08, 11:16 AM
Because it provides quite a nice rush of adrenalin and really isnt all that dangerous.
People could say the same thing about people who ride bikes for fun, theres certainly in ratio terms its classes as just as dangerous or even more so.
3 seconds of adrenaline compared to a lifetime of being wheel chair bound.
Yep that sounds like a risk worth taking? :rolleyes:
Jumping into water of unknown depth is asking for trouble. You may aswell jump from a block of flats and see if your legs don't break.
This is by no means anything to do with biking, unless of course you ride sans helmet and use a brick wall to stop.
Luckypants
13-05-08, 11:22 AM
Because it provides quite a nice rush of adrenalin and really isnt all that dangerous.
If you have some idea about what you jumping into? Trouble is most folks have no idea how to judge the depth of the water nor how much depth is needed for a given height. Yes I have done it, but always fully aware of the depth of the water being jumped into and most often with a buoyancy aid.
you are right about the adrenaline rush, but think on first IMO.
Steve_God
13-05-08, 11:30 AM
This is by no means anything to do with biking
It's the same kettle of fish.
Motorbiking can be as safe or dangerous/risky as you want to make it depending on how fast you ride under risky circumstances. Eg, going round a blind bend at 110mph with tractor and cars overtaking it coming the other way.
Tombstoning can be as safe or dangerous/risky as you want to make it depending on how high you dive, not assessing the water that your diving into first, etc.
ArtyLady
13-05-08, 11:35 AM
My Mum always warned me to check the water depth before jumping in...all those years ago when I was a kid - its nothing new just common sense. Poor guy though I really feel for him. :(
Warthog
13-05-08, 11:37 AM
Diving 9m into 1m of water? Can you get any thicker??
DanDare
13-05-08, 11:39 AM
Oh hear we go again, the motorbiking is like everything else thread.:rolleyes:
I have nothing against adrenline fuelled excitement or jumping into water at great height. Its when you don't first check how deep the water is, is crazy in my mind.
3 seconds of adrenaline compared to a lifetime of being wheel chair bound.
Yep that sounds like a risk worth taking? :rolleyes:
Jumping into water of unknown depth is asking for trouble. You may aswell jump from a block of flats and see if your legs don't break.
This is by no means anything to do with biking, unless of course you ride sans helmet and use a brick wall to stop.
Thats the point though exactly there, you may as well sit in the same room as the people trying to get bike banned....'because they are dangerous'
I have jumped off plenty of high things in to water probably in the same scenarios as luckypants. Its an assessed risk like jumping onto your bike and going for a hoon.
Some people are fools and jump into inches deep water and injure themselves, or jump off a pier and find a sandbank has moved witht he currents.
as do
Some people are fools and ride stupidly fast, target fixate and often come off much worse than not being able to walk again, or as has been said hoon round a corner to find a tractor cutting a hedge slowly.
People choose the route in which they get there adrenalin fix.....why should anyone else stand in their way and ban it because 'its dangerous'
To me, someone saying its dangerous and should be banned is exactly like someone ill informed saying biking is dangerous and sahould be banned too.
DanDare
13-05-08, 11:56 AM
FFS! When in my original thread did I mention anything to do with biking, let alone banning it? :confused::confused::confused:
My question was asking about the mentality of someone prepared to risk guaranteed injury or becoming paralised through not checking first what their first jumping into. Simple as.
I wasn't saying don't do dangerous sports or lets all hang up our bike keys cos its also dangerous.
However if you wish to compare it to biking as some wish to do with everything these day's, ask yourself this:
Would you ride at 70mph at night, switch off your lights and wear no protection at all. Then you might see my point.
Would you ride at 70mph at night, switch off your lights and wear no protection at all. Then you might see my point.
Yes some people would, and they may end up getting hurt.....like people jumping off piers.
WHO CARES....let them get on with it
Wayluya
13-05-08, 12:20 PM
Tombstoning? LOL!
Used to be called "Jumping off something into the water" when I was a kid (and great fun it is too!)........and that was probably why it never hit the media.
Checking how deep first? FFS - how technical is that???
IMO Darwin eventually catches up with idiots whether jumping in the Water, on Bikes or whatever.
Yes some people would, and they may end up getting hurt.....like people jumping off piers.
WHO CARES....let them get on with it
Who cares - well I do, for one. I think it's a matter of great public concern. The MCA is right to do something about it. Whilst the State often gets it wrong, this is where they've plainly got it right.
Wayluya
13-05-08, 12:51 PM
Who cares - well I do, for one. I think it's a matter of great public concern. The MCA is right to do something about it. Whilst the State often gets it wrong, this is where they've plainly got it right.
I missed the bit about the MCA getting involved?
Whilst the State often gets it wrong, this is where they've plainly got it right.
On what basis have they got it right?
If it was a court of law and they won on the basis that the occasional person hurts themselves therefore 'its dangerous and should be banned' it would create a pathway for thousands of other persuits to be banned.
The MCA is forever telling people how dangerous it is. Link to relevant page on MCA website here http://tinyurl.com/4tnbkh
On what basis have they got it right?
If it was a court of law and they won on the basis that the occasional person hurts themselves therefore 'its dangerous and should be banned' it would create a pathway for thousands of other persuits to be banned.
The State has an interest in protecting its citizens, sometimes from themselves. It's plainly for individuals to make their own risk assessment - quite literally on the basis of 'look before you leap'. In some harbours the decision is made already, it's illegal to jump off the wall because of the danger to shipping. In other places it's not. But the MCA is obviously right in telling people that it's a stupid and dangerous practice, for the simple reason that you can never be sure of how deep the water is, or whether ther's a mangled piece of barbed wire around. And most people have no idea what depth of water is required for a safe drop from a given height.
I didn't say anything about banning it. That's plainly a very different matter.
Wayluya
13-05-08, 01:03 PM
The MCA is forever telling people how dangerous it is. Link to relevant page on MCA website here http://tinyurl.com/4tnbkh (http://tinyurl.com/4tnbkh)
Cheers - I suspect I should have known that .....but Govt stuff tends to go in one ear and out the other :)
However you jump into the water from height, remember;
Always check the water depth before you jump. The main cause of death and injury is by landing in shallow depths or hitting unseen obstructions which are just below the surface of the water.
Always ensure you can get back out of the water again.
Never swim or jump into the water if you have taken alcohol or drugs. Both can seriously impair your judgment.
Thank God for Darwin :):):)
Luckypants
13-05-08, 01:06 PM
....And most people have no idea what depth of water is required for a safe drop from a given height.
Precisely my point earlier. This is sooo variable also, depending on how you enter the water, angle, what you do once in the water, etc... Most of these things are done on a whim, in a fit of bravado (often drunken bravado) and none of this is weighed up.
Iansv II
13-05-08, 01:15 PM
At least it removes a few more muppets from the gene pool each year ....
Blue_SV650S
13-05-08, 01:39 PM
How many times do I have to tell you, Portsmooof people are particularly thick!! :D
Oh and why are you condemning him for his stupidity ... you ALL ride motorbikes ... is that not asking for trouble?!!? ;)
DanDare
13-05-08, 01:52 PM
Yes some people would, and they may end up getting hurt.....like people jumping off piers.
WHO CARES....let them get on with it
Hallejujah! The penny drops
If you don't care, why bother to post in this thread then! :confused:
Hallejujah! The penny drops
If you don't care, why bother to post in this thread then! :confused:
Because it bothers me other people give a crap........and the fact its good banter ;) :smt075
How many times do I have to tell you, Portsmooof people are particularly thick!! :D
Oh and why are you condemning him for his stupidity ... you ALL ride motorbikes ... is that not asking for trouble?!!? ;)
This is akin to riding through a giveway sign at a crossroads without even slowing down. Or pressing on around the blind bend at 80mph just after passing the "Farm Traffic" sign. :)
Jumping off cliffs or piers isn't the stupid part, it's not knowing what you're jumping in to that gets you hurt.
There's a clip on some Bravo show "Most Amazing Videos" or something, where a cliff jumper jumps feet first, hits the river bed and seriously hurts his back. D'oh, stupid guy huh? Not as stupid as his mate, who after seeing what happened to his buddy decides to jump in head first! That is one of those look away moments. Needless to say there was blood, but I think he escaped anything life threatening or mega serious somehow.
Ceri JC
13-05-08, 02:12 PM
Tombstoning can be as safe or dangerous/risky as you want to make it depending on how high you dive, not assessing the water that your diving into first, etc.
+1.
The tombstoners we hear about are just like the weekend warriors who ride sportsbikes down country lanes at 160+ where 100 would be pushing your luck, if you knew what you were doing. They're the most d***ish, have the most accidents and constantly get in the headlines.
I know lifeguards (who have had to rescue people who've been injured as a a result of it) who themselves tombstone regularly and have never come a cropper. I've done it in places where I know it to be safe and do not believe it's anywhere near as dangerous as people make out. It's like motorcycling isn't actually the oft-quoted 16 times more dangerous than riding a car, provided you don't ride like a t***, but stats have a very hard time reflecting whether or not you're a t***.
The worse I have seen from LOTS of jump was a broken pelvis, and that was from a 40m bridge and an awkward landing.
All the newspaper crap sorrounding it is rubbish, and accidents are few and far between in the grand scheme of things.
Thats whats so annoying about it, because one mindless idiot jumps when the tide is out everyone gets clamped down on, and every other person who doesnt agree with it jumps on the band wagon.
Blue_SV650S
13-05-08, 02:14 PM
Why is it called "Tombstoning"?
Is it the position you dive in or coz that is what it can result in? :scratch:
Why is it called "Tombstoning"?
Is it the position you dive in or coz that is what it can result in? :scratch:
Tombstoning is just a word sensationalised by the media, and now more commonly used rather than cliff/bridge jumping etc
ThEGr33k
13-05-08, 02:22 PM
Ouch... TBH
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