Moment reckless 'tombstoning' youths leap off 65ft cliff and into water at notorious Dead Man's Cove

By JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:47, 17 August 2026 | Updated: 13:53, 17 August 2026 A group of reckless youths have been filmed leaping 65ft off a cliff and into the water at Dead Man's Cove in Plymouth, Devon.  The youths were 'tombstoning', a dangerous craze where people hurl themselves in off a high structure or cliff into the water below. Dead Man's Cove has been a popular location for adrenaline junkies for many years with people even queuing to take part in the extreme activity. Video footage showed the youngsters leaping off the edge of the notorious cliff before plummeting into the water just metres away from jagged rocks. Several people have been severely injured tombstoning at the site and in October 2016, dad-of-three Vincent Wagstaff, 39, died after misjudging his jump. Teenager Ben Thompson was also left paralysed when he leapt off the cliff in 2010. James Preston, who was watching the youths risk their lives at the cove, said the perilous activity should not be allowed. 'I have seen tombstoning at this location before, but this time seemed extra dangerous given it was not even high tide and the rocks below were clearly visible,' he said. Two young people sit on a jagged rock below a boy as he jumps into the water at Dead Man's Cove in Dartmouth A young person runs toward the edge of Dead Man's Cove seconds before leaping off An onlooker on a pontoon watches a person jumping off the wall in Dartmouth, Devon 'I stood there with other onlookers and we all cringed whilst the jumps were performed. This really shouldn't be allowed to happen in my opinion.' The 40-year-old from Plymouth, Devon, said that a simple misstep could have caused 'an extremely serious injury'. He continued: 'Thankfully this was not the case but it feels like it is simply a matter of time if this going to happen again. 'It was a beautiful sunny evening at the Plymouth Hoe but this certainly brought a nervy energy to the area.  'I am amazed that more measures have not been put into place to stop youths from doing this.' The coastguard previously said that people should not ignore the dangerous risks tombstoning poses just because people spur them on. 'It is infuriating because we know the consequences but they just say "you’re spoiling our fun",' they said. 'Go to a proper diving thing if you want to dive off something into the water but going off here is absolutely ridiculous. Young people pictured watching a young person leap into the water at Dead Man's Cove  Jack Dolan, 15,was left brain damaged after tombstoning off a seaside pier in Margate, Kent, in 2024 Jack (pictured before his injury) was left brain damaged after the accident - which should have killed him 'As long as people queue up and watch them or clap them - I’ve seen people clapping them - they’ll continue to do it, just showing off to the girls, you know. They added that if people who were crippled for life from tombstoning were there, people would not take part. A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: 'You don't always know what you're jumping into. Tombstoning from piers, cliffs, rocks or other structures into the sea can be extremely dangerous. 'The depth of the water can dramatically change with the tide, and what was a deep pool at lunchtime might be a shallow puddle by teatime.  'Hidden hazards may be lurking beneath the surface, and you may not know they're there until you're hurt or worse. 'Cold water shock may make it difficult to swim to safety, and strong currents can quickly sweep you away.' Dead Man's Cove is not the only location in the UK where people have tombstoned and been seriously injured. Dunbar RNLI issued a stark warning about the dangers of tombstoning after a 14-year-old seriously injured his leg after jumping from a harbour on August 13.  A lifeboat was launched to save the boy before he was pulled out of the water and taken to an ambulance. In Margate, 15-year-old Jack Dolan was left severely brain damaged after tombstoning off a pier in 2024. Despite making a remarkable recovery from the accident which left him braindead, Mr Dolan's family claimed that Medway Council and Medway Community Healthcare in Kent left him in 'bed to rot'. His family then turned to private treatment, including specialist hyperbaric oxygen therapy, to help him recover further. Jack's step-father Dave Dolan previously said: 'We want better care for Jack. We will go to Parliament. We want a change in his condition and how he is cared for.' He added: 'It's heartbreaking. There's nowhere near enough help. 'It's terrible. They're not helping him enough. The community care team are leaving him to bed-rot.'