Skydiver breaks ankle on popular Gold Coast beach after awkward landing

A client of a top Gold Coast tourism experience is said to be in “good spirits” a day after his skydive went awry.

Paramedics and life savers treating a man in his sixties at Kirra Beach on Saturday morning after the skydiver broke his ankle upon landing. Picture: Facebook

A skydiver in his sixties is said to be in “good spirits” a day after breaking his ankle on Kirra Beach during a botched landing, which led to a flurry of activity on the beach as paramedics and surf lifesavers treated the man.

In response to questions prompted by a number of images circulating on social media, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman confirmed the accident.

“Paramedics transported a male in his 60s to Gold Coast University Hospital with a significant leg injury following a parachuting incident on Kirra Beach in Coolangatta at 10.15am [Saturday],” he said.

Gold Coast Skydive director Archie Jamieson said the skydiver had broken his ankle during the landing when his toe “clipped” the sand, twisting his ankle back.

Paramedics and life savers treating a man in his sixties at Kirra Beach on Saturday morning after the skydiver broke his ankle upon landing. Picture: Facebook

He said it looked like “carnage” on the beach, with the hubbub caused by the attendance of multiple paramedics and surf lifesavers from Kirra Beach SLC, but asserted the incident wasn’t as bad as it seemed to passers-by.

“It was just unfortunate, one of those things,” Mr Jamieson said.

“He was fine, he’s in good spirits.

“I haven’t spoken to the family today, but we’ll call after lunch time.”

Mr Jamieson said he had flagged the skydiver’s injury with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and Gold Coast Skydive would undertake its own internal investigation to ascertain how the injury came about and whether any improvements can be made.

“Any incident we take very seriously,” he said.

Originally published as Skydiver breaks ankle on popular Gold Coast beach after awkward landing