The adrenaline-chasing craze of “tombstoning” claimed another life last night, when a 16-year-old boy died after jumping into the sea from a harbour wall.

The death of Sam Boyd, at Minehead in Somerset, comes amid a spate of injuries this summer caused by the trend for jumping into the ocean from a height.

Swansea Coastguard found the body of the thrill-seeker at around 2am this morning, six hours after he was seen leaping into Minehead Harbour.

The harbour area was busy with people enjoying the evening sunshine when the boy, who was with a group of friends, jumped into the sea in his ordinary clothes and disappeared from sight.

The police and coastguard launched a search. When the teenager was found, around low tide, he could not be saved and he was pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.

“We know he jumped into the harbour off the harbour wall and that he swam for a short distance, then all of a sudden was crying for help and then apparently sank like a sack of potatoes,” said a coastguard spokesman.

“We believe they were 'tombstoning’, which is something that children don’t tend to see danger in, unfortunately.”

Increasingly adults are also failing to appreciate the hazards associated with jumping from cliffs or high vantage points into the sea.

Delwyn Jones, 46, a father of six, died on June 17 after leaping 30ft into the sea near Torbay in Devon. The next day a 29-year-old was rescued after jumping into the water at St Agnes, Cornwall.

Peter Cornall, head of leisure safety at Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents, said: “We can see the attraction of 'tombstoning' and why people do it. But because of the nature of jumping from height into the water, particularly at coastal locations, it is extremely hazardous.”

The RoSPA points out that the constantly changing currents, sea depths and hidden rocks means the practice is dangerous even for people who know the area well.

“There are a myriad of risks and it is likely that many people do not stop to assess the risks before jumping. We would urge people to think carefully in advance. There is a particular need for risk awareness among teenagers,” Mr Cornall said.

Police have previously threatened jumpers with ASBOs, but the length of the British coastline would make an order impossible to enforce.

Between 1997 and 2004 1,226 people were admitted to hospital after diving or jumping into water in England, according to RoSPA. One hundred and six of those casualties did not survive their injuries.

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