A 16-year-old boy who tombstoned off the 30-foot quarry at Abereiddy is being treated for a spinal fracture following a major rescue operation last Tuesday afternoon.

The teenager, who lives in Bradford and was holidaying in Pembrokeshire with his family, had already successfully jumped off the plateau once, so decided to do it again.

Sam hit the surface hard in what his mother described as 'a seated position', however experts later described this as being the equivalent of ‘smacking onto concrete’.

“Because he’s such as strong swimmer, we initially thought Sam was waiting for the others to get out first," said his mother, Lindsay Wilson.

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"But then we noticed that he’d turned pale and was holding onto the rocks.”

Fortunately the local coasteering company 'Celtic Quest Coasteering' were leading a team in the Blue Lagoon at the same time, and seeing that Sam was in difficulty, immediately went to his assistance.

They managed to get him onto his back and, using a paddleboard as a makeshift stretcher, they secured his neck and swam with him to the shore.

Western Telegraph: Sam receives treatment from the coastguards after being attached onto a paddleboard which acted as a makeshift stretcherSam receives treatment from the coastguards after being attached onto a paddleboard which acted as a makeshift stretcher

Fishguard Coastguards were called to attend and, once the public had been cleared from the site, the coastguard rescue helicopter airlifted him from the cliffs to a waiting ambulance.

Western Telegraph: A flare islit to help the Coastguard rescue helicopter land on the plateauA flare islit to help the Coastguard rescue helicopter land on the plateau

He was transferred to Glangwili where a CT scan confirmed he had a spinal fracture.

Meanwhile a spokesman from National Water Safety has stressed the dangers of tombstoning.

“Whilst we recognise that tombstoning has been occurring around our coasts for generations, over recent years it has gained attention for all the wrong reasons. And sadly a number of people have been killed or seriously injured,” he said.

The name ‘tombstone’ was adopted because of the way in which a person plunges into deep water in a similar way to a stone.

However because the water’s depths alter with the tide, the water may often be shallower than the person thinks. Submerged rocks may not always be visible while strong currents can rapidly sweep people away.

“Our message is simple - don’t jump into the unknown,” concluded National Water Safety.

“Because tombstoning involves jumping or diving from a great height into the water, it can be a very high-risk activity.”