Horror moment Brit tourist tombstones onto rocks in botched stunt leaving him seriously injured at Tenerife beauty spot
THIS is the horror moment a Brit tourist plunged from a cliff crashing into rocks below in a Tenerife beauty spot.
The man was stretchered away from the scene “seriously injured” after the stunt had gone awry on Monday.
The footage shows a group of British tourists count down a pal moments before he plunges from the cliffs into the small sea surface below.
But the tombstoning – act of diving from high point into deep water – has gone wrong when the 40-year-old miscalculated his jump.
The shocked onlookers can be heard reacting immediately after the man landed on rocks instead and then fell into the water.
The stomach-churning clip shows the man smash feet-first onto the rocks as he appears to have broken at least one leg.
Other tourists seem to have performed the same dive earlier as they are seen in the pool when he suffered the horrific accident.
The near-tragedy happened around 2pm on Monday at a sea cave called Charco El Tancon in Puerto Santiago in northern Tenerife.
The injured man was pulled out of the water by his friends before the emergency services arrived at the scene.
The firefighters had stabilised the man at a local health centre before he was rushed to Hospitan Sur University Hospital.
A spokesman for a regional emergency services said: “A 40-year-old foreign man has been taken by ambulance to Hospiten Sur University Hospital.
“He had several serious lower limb trauma injuries.
“The first emergency call was received at 2.10pm on Monday, saying the foreign man needed medical assistance after hitting rocks when he jumped into the sea pool at Charco El Tancon.
“His companions had already got him out of the water by the time the first emergency responders arrived.”
It is unclear what the man’s current condition is.
Witnesses claimed to have seen a group of tourists film themselves somersaulting and plunging into the open water from the cliffs before making their way over to the scene of the grim incident.
The sea cave is listed as “permanently closed” on TripAdvisor after several holidaymakers have lost their lives there.
Spanish influencer Marina Rivera Saldana – with 2million followers on Instagram – was under fire for swimming in the off-limits spot last September.
Dangers of tombstoning
TOMBSTONING describes an activity in which a person falls into the deep water, in a similar way a stone would.
It can be dangerous due to the following reasons:
- water depth alters with the tide; the water may be shallower than it seems
- submerged objects like rocks may not be visible; they can cause serious injury if you jump onto them
- the shock of cold water may make it difficult to swim
- strong currents can rapidly sweep people away
Source: nationalwatersafety.org.uk
Locals have long warned tourists not to bathe in the doomed cave – known as a “mortal paradise” – with cautionary signs plastered all over the place.
A Canary Islands-based organisation set up to prevent aquatic accidents like Monday’s incident said in an overnight post: “El Tancon in Tenerife has once again become tragic news for the most absurd recklessness.”
The organisation criticised tourists who ignore warning signs and “freely risk their lives” while recording their senseless acts for social media.
A spokesman for the group said: “Please: no more recklessness, no more suicidal actions, no more deaths at sea. Prevention and common sense.”
The site where the accident occurred – part of a complex of natural pools on the Los Gigantes cliffs – has been described as “one of the most beautiful places in all of Tenerife”.
But despite stunning scenery, the cave is notorious for deaths of tourists who succumbed to the force of the sea and drowned.
Visitors have reported witnessing strong waves unexpectedly show up even on calm, sunny days and high tides fill up the cave quickly, trapping the swimmers inside.
A tourist wrote in September 2022: “I found the cave by accident back in 1999. It is a mesmerising place, watching the cave fill up and empty with the swell of the sea.
“As I am not a strong swimmer, I would not dare go into it. I have read over the years that strong swimmers have succumbed to the speed the cave fills up, resulting in them being pinned to the roof of the cave and having either fatal head injuries or drowning.
“I have visited the place over three different holiday years so have seen some ‘hairy’ sea conditions. To stand and see just how quickly the cave fills up terrified me.
“Please, if you do visit this place, be very mindful of the consequences of what may happen to you as you will have no control whatsoever.”
A Spanish local replied: “DO NOT GET IN. People die here every year.
“Although it may seem that the sea is calm, in a matter of seconds a range of waves can come in, leading you to the grave.
“Once you are in the water, the cave fills up with the waves, hitting your head to the ceiling of the cave and leaving you unconscious.
“Your only way out would be to dive as deep as possible and wait there for a couple minutes. This is impossible for most of us.
“Please do not attempt to swim here. THERE IS NO WAY OUT.”
