Coastguards in the Isle of Man say the activity of Coasteering should only be considered as part of organised events led by qualified instructors.

The comment follows criticism of a 30 second Department of Tourism and Leisure television advertisement, which features a qualified extreme sports instructor jumping off cliffs around the Island.

The United Kingdom's Maritime Coastguard Agency has suggested the activity shown is 'Tombstoning' and has condemned the commercial as "highly irresponsible", saying 'Tombstoning' shouldn't be encouraged under any circumstances.

The DTL insists the TV advert features the less dangerous Coasteering, but Chief Coastguard in the Isle of Man Colin Finney is stressing even that requires people who know what they are doing (audio file attached):

(Picture: Coasteerer in protective clothing, as featured in the DTL television advert, from gov.im/tourism).