Man broke ankle jumping off slipway

A MAN broke his ankle after jumping off a boat slipway while “tombstoning” over the weekend.

It has led to a warning from authorities about jumping into water from height, also known as tombstoning.

The man, who is in his 30s, was left with a broken ankle and cuts to his feet after landing in shallow water. Porthcawl RNLI said he jumped from about 7ft into murky water on Sunday afternoon. The water was just 4ft deep and the man hit rocks below.

The charity has joined forces with Bridgend council to warn people not to jump into water.

Helmsman Carl Evans attended the scene and helped the man, who managed to swim to the bottom of the slipway. Porthcawl Coastguard Search and Rescue team members also attended.

Porthcawl RNLI lifeboat operations manager Phil Missen said: “This incident reminds us how dangerous jumping into water from height – or tombstoning – can be.

“Water changes depth with the tide, so the water may be shallower than it looks. Submerged items may not be visible and can cause serious injury or paralysis if you hit them. The water can be a lot colder than it looks so the shock of cold water may also make it difficult to swim and strong currents can sweep you away. It’s really important that people think about the possible dangers. We want people to be in a position to make better, more informed choices to keep themselves and others safe.”

A Bridgend council spokesman said: “We’re very keen to highlight the dangers of jumping into unknown waters.

“In Porthcawl, anyone leaping into the sea off the breakwater or slipway is also very near to Porthcawl Marina and therefore could be potentially putting themselves into the path of boats that are coming in and out of the marina.

“We cannot emphasise enough how dangerous this is.”