Meet a Tidal Trailblazer
Dive into the Welsh world of coasteering — where rock-climbing meets swimming and cliff-jumping.
Photographs by Amanda Fordyce
Somewhere between swimming through Dead Man’s Cove and hanging over the Ledge of Doom, Jey Massingham is having just another day at the office. He follows a route along the Gazzle — the word means “armpit” in Cornish — that he’s traversed countless times, but every one is different.
Massingham is a pioneer of a sport that’s attracting seasoned climbers and novice explorers alike to the U.K.’s rugged and dramatic coastline. Called “coasteering,” it’s a combination of rock climbing, swimming through caves, and cliff jumping. For Massingham, it offers a distinct and constantly changing perspective of Newquay, the town where he lives in Cornwall. “You can see wildlife and places that are unreachable even by kayak, and you never know what’s just around the corner,” he said.
Coasteering was largely unheard of when Massingham first tried out the sport on vacation here six years ago. An expert surfer and kayaker originally from South Africa, he found the mix of adrenaline-pumping activity and exploration so exhilarating that he decided to stay for good and set up shop as a guide. These days, what was once a “fringe activity” developed by Welsh surfers about 20 years ago is now a growing trend. “About 200,000 people went coasteering in Wales last year,” said Massingham, who gives guests a crash course. On his Airbnb Experience, he outfits guests with wetsuits and helmets and leads them over, under, and through the slate and quartz cliffs that meet the Atlantic Ocean.
Unlike surfing or climbing, coasteering requires no prior experience, and most of Massingham’s guests are beginners: “It’s very individual. If you want to push yourself and do lots of big jumps, you can. If you don’t want to, you don’t need to.”
The experience usually takes place at low tide, when the distance between the cliffs and the sea is the greatest for jumps. Over the course of two hours, the group learns to navigate shallow and deep water, swim through caves and sluices, and leap into the surf if they choose. They work their way up to bigger jumps, the highest being up to 30 feet. “It’s enough to get your heart racing,” Massingham said.
Along the way, he points out historic shipwrecks and smugglers’ coves and shares bits of local maritime history, like the old lifeboat slipway that was accidentally built too steep to be used. The narrative is a little tongue-in-cheek. “I’ll talk about Fisherman’s Jump and the Ledge of Doom, the Ledge of Nerves,” he said. “It adds a bit more fun to it. People are into the laughter of it all. That’s the way I like to do things.”
“Over the course of two hours, the group learns to navigate shallow and deep water, swim through caves and sluices, and leap into the surf if they choose.”
Guests can also spot harbor seals, seabirds, and dolphins, and pause to snack on edible seagrasses, including the rare rock samphire, which grows in abundance here.
The changing sea keeps coasteering fresh for Massingham, no matter how many times he goes. “All of the different swell conditions and the tide mean that no two trips are the same,” he said. “You never quite know what’s around the corner. That’s what makes the adventure for me.”
Coasteering is still in its infancy, and Massingham is part of a small community that’s helping set the rules. He’s a member of the National Coasteering Charter, which creates safety guidelines and standards for training new instructors. “We want anybody coming towards it, whether it’s a new provider or a customer, to have the safest and best experience,” he said.
Three years ago, Massingham and five friends coasteered for nine hours from the town of St. Agnes to Newquay, a total distance of about 25 km, as a fundraiser for marine conservation. It’s the furthest anyone has coasteered, at least in the U.K., according to Massingham. They discovered places near where they regularly surf but could never access: “Swimming up the coastline, all you can see are all the bays and the islands.”
For most people, two hours of coasteering is plenty. It’s not intensive exercise, but it’s a workout, Massingham said. Last year he guided an actor who was trying to get in shape for an upcoming film. “He was pretty happy. It’s a good bit of fitness. Most people are pretty tired and hungry by the time they finish.”
Massingham takes a break between the tides, but then he gears right back up to return to the ever-changing water.”
About the author: Marguerite McNeal Carter is a writer and editor based in San Francisco. Her work has appeared in EdSurge, Wired, and Marketing News. She’s currently a creative at Airbnb.
