Coasteering Explained

Coasteering is movement along the intertidal zone^[1] of a rocky coastline on foot or by swimming, without the aid of boats, surf boards or other craft.

Coasteering allows a person to move in the “impact zone” between a body of water and the coast where waves, tides, wind, rocks, cliffs, gullies, and caves come together.

The term was first used by Edward C Pyatt^[2] as the combination of the words "mountaineering" and "coast"^[3] and was adopted by Andy Middleton in Wales in 1985, who then made it a business idea.^[4]

History

Although all aspects of coasteering have been informally practised by people for a very long time,^[1] if only as a means of access to a cut-off cove beyond a headland, the term appears first to have been used in 1973. In the book Sea Cliff Climbing, John Cleare and Robin Collomb said "A few enthusiasts believe that coasteering will become popular and has a big future".

In the late 1980s Andy Middleton of Twr-y-Felin Outdoor Centre developed it as a commercially guided recreational activity initially along the cliff coastline of St.Davids in Pembrokeshire in Wales. By the mid 1990s write-ups started appearing in the travel/recreational pages of the newspapers showing that several commercial companies were offering such activity.

The activity then spread to all regions of the UK where there are suitable rocky coasts, including Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, Anglesey and the Highlands and Isles of Scotland.

The advisory organisation for coasteering in the UK is the National Coasteering Charter (NCC).^[4]

In the UK the activity is recognized by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority which is a department of the Health and Safety Executive.

Activities

Coasteering may include all or some of the following activities:

• Swimming or Adventure Swimming: These activities can occur in calm, rough or white water; and/or tidal currents. Dressing for swimming in the sea (wetsuits, buoyancy aids etc.) is often an integral part of Coasteering; even on routes where it is possible to stay dry. A route, or activity, where the group start out with the intention of staying dry - whether through route choice or the use of ropes and harnesses - would not usually be considered as coasteering but sea level traversing,^[5] which is usually a dry pursuit.^[6]
• Climbing, scrambling: The very nature of the coastline that is needed for coasteering demands aspects of these activities. Ropes, as security on rock, are not used. Any climbing activity usually takes place above deep water, with safety spotters used where appropriate. There is a similarity to the sport of deep-water soloing, but this would normally be carried out by experienced individuals not wearing equipment suitable for coasteering. Coasteering is not usually intended as an 'always dry', climbing activity.
• Jumping into water: Coasteering "...often involves a series of jumps into deep water."^{[1] [7]}

Guided adventure experience

The rocky cliff coasts of western Britain provide the world's principal location for organised guided coasteering, where it is available from over 100 activity centres.^[8] Usually half day or one day trips are offered at a variety of levels catering for beginners, intermediates and advanced. Some trips are especially slanted towards study of the coastal ecology.

Some centres cater for parties of school children.

Adventure races

Coasteering may be included as one of the disciplines for a stage of an adventure race. This is especially common in New Zealand, but is also to be found in Australia, Canada, and the USA.

Safety

In 2015 in the UK a document giving safety advice for coasteering providers was published.^[9] Also in the UK, the HSE has an information sheet of good practice for the Adventure Activities Industry.^[10]

Basic safety equipment

Safety equipment reflects the environment in which the sport is performed^[11] and often includes:

• Wetsuit (for cooler waters outside the tropics) ^[11]
• Protective clothing and gloves to prevent abrasions - may be provided by the wet suit
• Buoyancy aid^[11]
• Helmet ^[11]
• Shoes to provide grip on rocks
• Wetsuit boots, trainers or canyoning boots (closed toes)^[11]
• Throw line ^[11]
• Communications – hand-held VHF and/or mobile telephone ^[11]
• Knife ^[11]

Hazards

See main article: article. When jumping into water from height, water resistance increases with the speed of entry, so entering the water at high-velocity induces rapid and potentially dangerous decelleration.^{[12] [13]} Jumping from a height of 20 feet (6.1 m) results in a person hitting the water at 25 mph (40 km/h).^[12] Impacting with the water surface at this velocity is capable of giving a person temporary paralysis of the diaphragm, a compressed spine, broken bones, or concussion.^[12]

When diving and flipping into water along the intertidal zone there is an increased risk of receiving an injury including a spinal injury.^[7]

Height falling from	Speed reached at water surface
5 feet (1.5 metres)	12 mph (19 km/h)^[14]
10 feet (3 metres)	17 mph (27 km/h)
20 feet (6.1 metres)	25 mph (40 km/h)
50 feet (15 metres)	38 mph (61 km/h)
85 feet (26 metres)	53 to 62 mph (85 to 100 km/h)

List of hazards

• Being swept away by currents ^{[1] [15]}
• Clothing or feet being caught in rocks or objects underneath the water surface
• Cold Water Shock^{[7] [16]}
• Drowning^[7]
• Hypothermia
• Jumping from height and impacting with water surface^[12]
• Jumping from height and impacting with submerged objects "...like rocks, fishing gear, mooring lines and other under water hazards [that] may not be visible"^{[17] [7]}
• Jumping from height and impacting with rocks above the water surface

Places known for Coasteering

• Hong Kong
• Wales
• England
• Scotland
• Madeira
• Athens
• Goa
• New Zealand
• Big Sur, California, USA

^[18]

See also

• Bouldering
• Caving
• Outdoor activity
• Rock fishing
• Scrambling
• Seatrekking
• Cliff Jumping

Notes and References

1. Web site: Coasteering and Tombstoning. NWSF. 15 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20210510214258/https://nationalwatersafety.org.uk/advice-and-information/coasteering-and-tombstoning/. 10 May 2021.
2. Some pioneers of coasteering Edward C Pyatt 191 Alpine Journal
3. Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 2011
4. Web site: NATIONAL COASTEERING CHARTER All About the NCC…. NATIONAL COASTEERING CHARTER. 21 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220626004146/https://www.nationalcoasteeringcharter.org.uk/about-the-ncc/. 26 June 2022.
5. Web site: ABOUT . coasteeringsouthwest . 6 October 2020 . en.
6. Web site: Sea Level Traversing . www.angleseyadventures.com . 6 October 2020.
7. Web site: Safety Advice for Coasteering Providers. 6, 12, 17–18, 19. November 2015. third. National Coasteering Charter. 21 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220626003935/https://www.nationalcoasteeringcharter.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Safety-Advice-for-Coasteering-Providers-V3-Nov-2015.pdf. 26 June 2022. live.
8. http://www.aals.org.uk/aals/provider_results.php?provider_name=&town=&county=&region=&Climbing=34&Watersports=&Trekking=&Caving=&Submit=Search List of AALA Recognized Providers for Combined Rock and Water Activities
9. Web site: Safety Advice for Coasteering Providers – V3 Nov 2015. November 2015. National Coasteering Charter. 21 June 2022. https://archive.today/20220626010314/https://www.nationalcoasteeringcharter.org.uk/docs/. 26 June 2022. live.
10. Web site: HSE Information Sheet for Combined Water and Rock Activities . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050526133220/http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/etis13.pdf . 2005-05-26 . 2005-07-06.
11. Web site: Safety Advice for Coasteering Providers. 13, 14. 2015. third. National Coasteering Charter. 21 June 2022.
12. Web site: How Cliff Diving Works. Kolich . Heather. mapquest. 5 October 2009 . 15 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20240524072549/https://www.mapquest.com/travel/outdoor-activities/water-sports/cliff-diving.htm. 24 May 2024. live.
13. News: Man dies after 'tombstoning' off Plymouth Hoe cliff. 14 October 2016. BBC. 15 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20161014145015/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-37653354. 14 October 2016. live.
14. Web site: CLIFFS PLUS DIVING = DANGER: WATER, GRAVITY CAN TURN THRILLER INTO A KILLER. 8 June 1989. Deseret News. 15 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220315093340/https://www.deseret.com/1989/6/8/18810510/cliffs-plus-diving-danger-water-gravity-can-turn-thriller-into-a-killer. 15 March 2022. live.
15. Web site: Tombstoning – 'Don't jump into the unknown'. RoSPA. 15 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220107022152/https://www.rospa.com/leisure-water-safety/water/advice/tombstoning. 7 January 2022. live.
16. News: Cold water shock. RNLI. 24 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240524064542/https://rnli.org/safety/know-the-risks/cold-water-shock. 24 May 2024.
17. News: Tombstoning warning after Findochty Harbour incident. Beresford. Alan. 2 July 2020. Grampian online. 15 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220315105507/https://www.grampianonline.co.uk/buckie/tombstoning-warning-after-findochty-harbour-incident-204717/. 15 March 2022. live.
18. Web site: Winn . Mark . March 26, 2023 . Coasteering: An Exciting Adventure Sport to Explore the Seaside . April 10, 2023 . Think Bestway.