'The most dangerous tombstoning I have ever seen':
RNLI warning as teenager flings himself off cliff into sea filled with jagged rocks
Boy clamps eyes shut and waves arms and legs wildly to jump over 15ft-stretch of stone between cliff and sea His feet appear to hit the water in Porthleven, Cornwall, inches from jagged rocks, emerges from water limping It is the latest case of 'tombstoning' - so-called because jumpers attempt to remain upright as they hit the water The dangerous sport has caused 20 deaths and 76 severe injuries since 2005, RNLI has released fresh safety plea
By Mia De Graaf
This is the horrifying moment a teenage boy fling himself off a cliff into a sea of jagged rocks - before limping onto the shore. Geared on by a crowd of friends, he only had room for a few steps' run up before attempting to leap over the perilous stones. It is the latest case of so-called tombstoning, which has caused 20 deaths and 76 severe injuries in Britain in less than a decade. Scroll down for video
Perilous: The teenager squints as he aims his feet to land inches away from the jagged rocks of the sea in Porthleven, Cornwall, after jumping from a cliff
Painful: He winces in apparent pain, crashing into the shallow water. It is the latest case of 'tombstoning' - where youngsters jump upright from cliffs into the sea
The dangerous sport - dubbed 'tombstoning' because jumpers try to stay upright as they hit the water - sees youngsters throw themselves into shallow waters from dozens of feet in the air. Propelling himself off the top of a cliff in Cornwall known as the 'pill box', this boy clamped his eyes shut. He moved his arms and legs wildly in a desperate bid to make it over the 15ft stretch of stone between the cliff base and the sea.
Incredibly, his feet appeared to hit the water inches away from the jagged rocks. But he emerged from the water wincing and limping to the shore - as his friends prepared to take their own leap. Last week, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) issued a fresh plea to teenagers to stop the activity after footage emerged of 'the most dangerous yet'.
Life-threatening: The boy wildly moved his arms and legs to push himself forwards. The activity has claimed the lives of 20 Britons in less than a decade, figures reveal
Leap: The group of boys geared each other on as they prepared to leap over 15 feet of stone to reach the rock-ridden waters below the cliff, called the 'pill box'
The video captured a group of teenagers jumping from 35ft into water filled with jagged rocks in Old Portsmouth, Hampshire. Although the beach at the Hot Walls is not patrolled by lifeguards, it has become a notorious hotspot for tombstoning. Rogan Wheeldon, RNLI lifeguard supervisor, said: 'Tombstoning anywhere is incredibly dangerous but this footage is some of the most dangerous I've ever seen.
'These people are jumping from about 35ft into shallow water which hides jagged rocks on the seabed. They are risking their lives, there is no doubt about it.'
Warning: This latest incident comes just days after the RNLI issued a warning to teenagers to avoid the activity during summer as there aren't enough lifeguards
