Reckless moment basejumper throws himself off 150ft cliff onto the beach below narrowly missing unsuspecting couple
- The parachutist jumped at West Bay in Dorset unaware of the people below
- A woman drew her hands to her mouth in shock as he narrowly avoided her
- ‘Reckless’ basejumpers jump from the cliffs regularly according to a witness
A reckless basejumper threw himself off a 150ft seaside cliff and narrowly missed landing on an unsuspecting couple below.
The thrill-seeker appeared at the top of the cliffs at West Bay in Dorset dressed in a jacket and jeans and wearing a safety helmet with a camera attached to it.
He launched himself off the edge seemingly unaware of the man and woman stood on rocks at the foot of the sandstone cliffs.
A yellow and green parachute opened up to control his descent which took just a few seconds.
A reckless basejumper throws himself off a 150ft seaside cliff at West Bay in Dorset and narrowly misses landing on an unsuspecting couple below
A yellow and green parachute opens up to control his descent which took just a few seconds as the couple were barely able to get out of the way
The woman raises both her hands to her mouth in shock as her boyfriend looks over his shoulder when the basejumper lands
The woman recoiled in shock as the man appeared from out of nowhere before landing just yards away from her.
A witness said: ‘I have seen basejumpers jump off the cliffs there before but it always looks quite alarming to see.
‘I’m not sure if he could see this couple as they were right up against the cliff but I’m quite sure they weren’t aware of him.
‘He must have suddenly appeared out of the blue to them. The woman looked very shocked and put her hands over her mouth.
The basejumper looks down from the cliffs dressed in a jacket and jeans and wearing a safety helmet with a camera attached to it
The woman recoils as she spots the basejumper descending down to the beach with his parachute out
The basejumper steers his dissent to avoid the couple standing on the rocks and lands mere metres away from them
‘He seems a reckless thing to have done as any slight change of wind or misjudgement by him and he could have landed on them.’
Coastguards say basejumping is not illegal if the jumper has permission from the landowner but it should be done with consideration to other members of the public.
The 180-million-year-old sandstone cliffs form part of Britain’s World Heritage Jurassic Coast but they are prone to regular and sudden rockfalls.
They appeared on the TV crime drama Broadchurch.
In 2012 holidaymaker Charlotte Blackman, 22, was crushed to death under a 400-tonne rockfall further along the beach.