Jumping off cliffs?

So on 20th October 2014 I did something completely crazy and something I thought I'd never do before. As part of my course at University we went coasteering as we had an Outdoor and Adventure module.
When I heard about coasteering before I thought it was just climbing on rocks and jumping off them into the sea however it is much more than just simply doing this. It challenges you mentally and physically and really puts your problem solving skills to the test. 

At the start of the activity I was very apprehensive mainly because I was worried about jumping off a rock and the water below me not being deep enough and hitting a rock as I went into the water. However as it progressed I became more comfortable in the environment we were in and found my confidence growing with everything we were asked to do. 

The weather on this day really didn't help much because there was very strong winds which made the waves quite big and therefore the swells in the sea pushed us into the rocks and the rip currents dragged us out into the ocean which made it all the more challenging for all of us on my course. 

The rocks also posed a good challenge as you had to use your problem solving skills to find the best and safest route possible over and around them. Also as you didn't know what was under the water before you jumped we had to test out the depth each time first before we went up and took the jump from a higher rock.  

During this session I learnt about ocean awareness. This included rip currents, the tide and swells that could occur. I learnt climbing skills, so I got taught that the easiest way to get out of the ocean and onto a rock was to wait for a wave that will give you the extra height so you can get on the rock more easily. 

I also learnt the 2 jumping techniques. The straddle jump for shallow jumps so that you stop yourself from going too far into the water and hurting yourself on a rock or something. And the higher jumping technique where you cross your arms onto your shoulders and hold onto your buoyancy aid so that you limit the impact that the water has on your body when you make contact with it. 

I really would love to try and do this again because it really pushed me out of my comfort zone which helps to make you a better person as life gets boring if you just do the same things day in day out. 

Chloe x