Extreme sport is not for the weak: Requirements include the ability to fall down. If you’re going cliff diving you’re likely in the mood for adventure, or have been drinking near a cliff. In the event that you decide to jump off said cliff here are some Dos and Don’ts for safe cliff diving. Unless you’re a professional or highly experienced, a tremendous cliff is not advisable. You have been warned, but just like the advisory of Miranda Rights you may not have the ability to adhere to recommended guidelines.
Leap of faith: look before you jump
Look before you jump. If you don’t, you can be the guy that plows into your friend in the water and ruins the trip. Did I mention you should bring friends? And that there should be water at the bottom? You would think that would be obvious but you’re the one doing a cliff jump right? Take a survey of the surrounding area and closely inspect the landing zone. If the water is too murky to see from your cliff jumping spot then you should inspect it first.
Water depth
Make sure the water is deep enough and that you’ve secured the cooler at the top of the cliff. This may be a remote area, but there could be hikers that want your precious hard iced tea. If you jump with a beverage, make sure the top is on it. I know that your beer doesn’t have a top. This means you shouldn’t jump with it in your hand. Try taking a drink of it, now remember that you left your things on the cliff and you and all your friends are in the water.
Be safe and aware
You’re not in this for the chicks are you? Okay, if she’s watching you better be sure you really want to jump. Please also be advised that however many ads you saw for your phone that say that it’s water proof they have all lied to you. Better leave it somewhere safe. Being focused on the jump and aware of your surroundings is very important. Be aware of Dave at all times, the one that likes to push people off the cliff because he’s either to impatient and can’t wait for his turn, or he’s just a moron.
Always feet first
You should always dive feet first, over 90% of professional divers do this on their jumps. Safety is the most important thing during your fun. So remember feet first, just like this tourist here. It should be known without me having to mention it, that if you’re going to jump from a very high place into water it will hurt if you land straight on your face. Dive feet first to prevent this, and also to prevent landing your face into an unseen rock underwater.
This looks like it will hurt.
Don’t panic
When you’re in the air try to avoid thoughts like “Oh No! I’m going to die!” or “Is the water really deep enough?”. You should enjoy your time spent in the air. So just a recap, don’t panic, stay cool and try not to yell like a pre-pubescent girl as you’re falling. If you’ve never dove before I can’t explain it to you in just one sentence, but you need to break the water clean with a nice entry point and keep a rigid pose. Be aware also of your voyage underwater, try to steer parallel to the water after entry as much as you can, or just away from sharp pointy rocks.
Spots to try
There are some prime locations on island nations, and I would recommend the ones that are in warmer climates. However if you’re looking for something closer, then you might want to comb a beach for a nice area to jump from. Rivers can always be prime for jumping as well. You can bet that there are good cliffs to dive from.
Featured photo credit: katie moley via tourismontheedge.com
