Tombstoners leap from Plymouth cliff just yards from Coastguard rescue

This is the shocking moment tombstoners leapt from Plymouth’s notorious ‘Dead Man’s Cove’ - during a Coastguard cliff rescue.

Youngsters jumped from the well-known spot on Plymouth Hoe last Friday (June 21), while volunteers conducted a simulation rescue just metres away.

The demonstration was held to raise awareness of the work done by the Plymouth Coastguard Rescue Team, and to highlight the area as an “incident hot spot”.

The volunteers had anchored a full cliff rig next to the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club and were just minutes into the training exercise when the tombstoners started jumping into the water.

In the video footage, which can be viewed in full below, one of the tombstoners can be seen running back and forth along a narrow ledge before leaping into the sea.

The spot is known as ‘Dead Man’s Cove’ and is popular with local tombstoners, despite a number of serious incidents over the years.

In October 2016, dad-of-three Vincent Wagstaff, 39, died from multiple injuries after leaping from the ledge while in July 2010, teenager Ben Thompson was left paralysed.

Following the simulation, volunteer Jake Smith went and spoke to the tombstoners.

He urged the youngsters to consider learning an outdoor activity, like coasteering, to ensure they understand the importance of safety.