Charles Darwin's Darwin Awards 
HOME
Darwin Awards
Honorable Mentions
Urban Legends
Personal Accounts
Slush Pile
2007 June Slush
(DA) Looney Water Tank Trio
Tombstoning Tradegy
Crook Holds Up Gun Shop
(DA)Not-So-Safe Sex
Roll Bounce
(PA)She Can Do Anything He Can Do
(DA)Men Play Chicken With a Train
A Dope Caught the Train
Another Frog Gigging Adventure
(DA)Aspiring Astronauts
(DA)Naked couple fall off roof
(?)Drinking and Biking
Train Driver's Urination Ejection
Burglar crushed by Fan
The woman of his dreams
Tree Removal Expert
3rd time was to far
Man Drowns in Storm Sewer
saussage bang!
(DA)Love You to Death
(DA)Oil Storage Tank jumping
Careless Snake Thief
Man drowns after getting stuck in c
(DA)Two naked people dead after 4-story
(DA)Flash*Boom*Dance!
Suwannee collision kills two cousin
Can you hear me now?
A Penny Saved is a Penny... Melted?
(?)Spitting Contest
Sailing Banana
(DA)Couple Falling off Roof
Trainsurfing
Man dies whilst astral travelling
Flaming Hackysack
(DA)Nude Couple Killed in Fall From Roo
Not So Weir-d Story
Playing Submarine
Teen Dies in Bullet Game.
(?)Spit,splat.smash!
16 wheeler closelined
Old Indian Remedy
balls in mousetrap
Stuck in Storm Sewer
Astral Travel
(DA)Oil Tank Flying Lessons
Explosive Pranks
Lookout Above!
Lookout Above!
Not quite a Darwin, maybe next time
Head First for a Phone
Mr.
Man dies in war against germs.
Last Round
Two Feared Drowned
homade bomb
Tree-Cutting Accident
(?)Almost An Award
Older Slush 
 
~ Random Story ~
Newsletter
Gift Shop
Rules  Search
Contact Darwin
Submit a Story
Philosophy Forum
Home

  

Darwin Awards
2007 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Tombstoning Tradegy

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

“Tombstoning”, a sport where swimmers dive from ledges into rock-infested seas, is on the increase in parts of Cornwall and Devon. Many young people are killed or seriously injured each year when they hit submerged rocks not visible from the surface.

A 45 year old man on a fishing trip to Torbay in Devon died during one such incident. The man had performed the stunt several times before, plunging from the roof of a deserted quarry building into the sea below, and decided to repeat his daring feat after a night’s imbibing at one of the many local hostelries. He and his slightly inebriated companions arrived at the disused quarry at around 1:20am. The man made for his usual dive spot atop the disused site office roof, and confidently plunged into the inky blackness. This is when tragedy struck. “Tombstoners” would argue that timing is absolutely essential – being unable to precisely judge dive position or the swell of the sea due to poor light may in most circumstances have contributed to the diver’s demise, but most proponents of the sport suggest that one fundamental safety aspect was overlooked in this particular instance – the necessity to check the local tide tables.

A cursory glance with a torch would have revealed to the diver that the tide had in fact receded some distance since his last visit, exposing an array of jagged boulders – truly a case of “look before you leap.”

Submitted on 06/19/2007

Submitted by: Paul B
Reference: Herald Express (Devon), 18/6/07

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

Great? 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Awful?
Love it! Hate it!
>> Moderator Scores <<

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Given that the idea is to jump into an area known to contain rocks, I see enough stupidity here to give it the nod. Thanks, Paul!


Chip said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Diving in the dark is a sure way to meet your maker. Give the man an award for his successful removal from the pool. Thanks for sending the story, Paul


Darwin Awards II: Unnatural Selection

Hardback. 240 pages. Autographed.
$15
A fresh collection of magnificent misadventures! Lust, Vanity, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, and Wrath extract an evolutionary toll on the wicked. Salute the owner of an equipment training school who demonstrates the dangers of driving a forklift by failing to survive the filming of his own safety video. Witness the man who becomes a victim of his own strange passion for jumping into rivers. Heed the honest bricklayer who loses a battle of wits with 300 pounds of tools.

This book includes more History of the Awards, Gordon's Law, and 10 discussions of evolution, including speciation and the role of verbal memes in civilization.

Autographed by Author!

Slush Pile
Slush Pile Rejects


Advanced Search

HomeRulesFAQsAwardsSlushSite Map
DarwinAward | HonorableMention | PersonalAccount | UrbanLegend