Warning to 'tombstoning' teenagers on Tyneside coast

Cullercoats Bay in the summer sunshine (2016) Credit: PA library picture from July 2016

The RNLI has issued a warning after teenagers were spotted tombstoning from a pier into shallow water on the North Tyneside coast in the warm sunny weather.

Adrian Don, from Tynemouth RNLI Lifeboat Station, has been explaining the problem at Cullercoats Bay.

It comes just 18 months after 15-year-old Caitlin Ruddy was swept from thepier opposite and to her death by a wave while playing with her friends.

Caitlin Ruddy was swept out to sea while playing on the north pier atCullercoats Bay in January of last year.

She died despite huge efforts by rescue teams after she was dragged intothe freezing water.

The teenager from Newbiggin Hall, Newcastle, was with a group of friends when a wave crashed over them.

What is tombstoning?

  • Tombstoning is the act of jumping in a straight vertical position into the sea, lake or reservoir from a high jumping platform, such as a cliff or pier

  • It is understood that between 2005 and 2015 the Coastguard dealt with more than 200 incidents of tombstoning, with 83 injuries and 20 deaths.