A defiant tombstoner has defended his terrifying hobby after an online video of him leaping 70ft off a rock attracted fierce criticism.
Aaron Thomas says he learnt the skill from his dad and says it is safe 'if you know what you are doing'.
The 21-year-old thrillseeker says he has been jumping from terrifying heights near his seaside home on Portland, Dorset.
He recently posted a nail-biting video of him leaping off a cliff near Pulpit Rock on social media.
In it he is seen taking a running jump from the 70ft high ledge and plummeting into the water just metres from a huge semi-submerged rock.
Locals have condemned his actions reckless and fear others may be encouraged to copy him.
Im the UK since 2005, 20 people have died from tombstoning, with many more suffering life-changing injuries, the coastguard has said.
The self-employed bricklayer however has brushed off the complaints, saying he has followed in the footsteps of his father Dave Thomas who has tombstoned all his life.
He said: "I've had loads of people moaning about it but if you know what you're doing it's fine. My dad has been doing it his entire life - he's never hurt himself. He's 40 now and he still loves it.
"I find it's a lot of older people moaning and saying it's dangerous - they mentioned that you can't see the rocks.
"But we snorkel there first and do a depth check. We make sure we jump at high tide - there's only one rock there and if that's beneath the water we know the tide is high enough.
"It's about a 70ft drop there so you need a depth of around 13ft.
"Someone commented and said that now all the teenagers would copy me - I did have one person tag their partner and say, 'omg we need to do this'. I don't even think they were from Portland either so that is worrying.
"They just need to make sure they go out with someone who knows what they're doing".
He added that he'd 'have to deal with it' if he ever got hurt.
The National Coastwatch Institution at Portland Bill warned that tombstoning was 'very dangerous' and jumpers risked being swept away in strong currents.
Bob Ward, deputy station manager at the Portland Bill lookout, said: "Tombstoning is definitely a very dangerous activity.
"The tide running around Portland Bill can exceed four knots depending on the time of day, and any tombstoner is liable to getting swept away by the tide.
"It is one of our worries - the shoreline is very dangerous and jumpers need to be wary of it."
