8 August 2014
With Southwick beach now fully accessible to the public, many visitors to Shoreham Port are enjoying spending time on the beach and in the sea this summer. The majority of visitors to the Port are respectful of the environment and follow Shoreham Port’s guides with regards to safety on the beach. However, there are some people who still attempt to jump into the sea from areas that are clearly signposted as dangerous.
The areas around the Port where it is not acceptable to jump into the sea include, the Eastern and Western arms and from the groynes along the beach. Also known as ‘tombstoning’ the activity of jumping from an unsafe area into open water can have devastating and debilitating consequences.
Paul Johnson, Safety and HR Director at Shoreham Port commented “Sadly, despite our efforts to stop people from tombstoning there are still individuals who continue to jump into open water without considering what might be lying underneath the surface. I would like to urge people to think twice before they jump into open water. There are so many distressing stories about young people who have been paralysed through tombstoning. It is such a tragic outcome and one that can be easily avoided.”
Julian Seaman, Harbour Master at Shoreham Port added “There is no reason for people to be swimming or jumping off the Eastern and Western arms. Our Engineering team have now completed their current work on Southwick Beach, adjacent to Carats Café, installing new timber groynes and restoring large parts of the beach for visitors to enjoy. This is a fantastic area which is open to the public all year round. If you witnesses any unsafe behaviour please contact the harbour office on 01273 598100.”
