The Pillars: Emily ‘Jack’ Strickland suffered spinal injuries when cliff diver jumped on top of her
Another cliff diver has been rushed to hospital as a horror run of injuries continues at The Pillars on the Mornington Peninsula.
South East
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A young woman couldn’t feel her legs and feared she was paralysed after a frightening mishap at a Mornington Peninsula cliff diving site.
Emily Strickland, who goes by the name Jack, fractured vertebrae in her neck when another cliff diver “landed on top of her” after she jumped from The Pillars at Mount Martha on Saturday afternoon.
The rescue was the third serious accident at The Pillars in a week.
The Cranbourne South woman was saved by unofficial life guards patrolling the controversial site, who kept held her body motionless in the water until a Marine Search and Rescue boat arrived.
Pillars Mount Martha “Rebels” Volunteers Lifesavers founder Michael Burke said members of the group performed a “textbook rescue”, holding Jack’s body and head still in the water and helping to carefully slide her onto a rescue board and then into the boat.
“When we first reached Jack she said she couldn’t feel her legs and we knew straight away it was a possible spinal injury and she should not be moved,” Mr Burke said.
“The water was choppy so keeping her body still wasn’t easy.”
Jack’s rescue came after Sarah Jacka, who broke both legs and an ankle while attempting a pin drop at The Pillars on New Year’s Day publicly warned of the dangers.
Mr Burke said dare devils would “never stop” testing their nerves at The Pillars.
He said instead of trying to ban thrill seekers from the site, more needed to be done to make it safe.
“People will never stop coming here,” Mr Burke said.
“It’s a rite of passage and people who jump once, always come back again.
“There will always be injuries. But we can make it safer.”
The former Portsea lifesaver believed the once secret spot was now the scene of the most rescues on Port Phillip Bay.
“We rescued 27 people in a single day once,” he said.
Some simple measures would make rescues easier and help divers to exit the water and climb back up the cliffs.
“A stainless steel rail and one step at the southern end of the site would make it easier for divers who aren’t strong enough to pull themselves out of the water and climb the cliff,” he said.
“A pontoon in the waters off the cliffs would give who get into trouble after jumping somewhere safe to go to wait for a rescue boat.”
Mr Burke said there was also room for an ambulance bay at the top of the cliffs, which would allow emergency services to pull off the Esplanade and co-ordinate rescues without having to close the narrow coastal road.
Fellow rebel volunteer Jarryd King said visitors wanted to site to “stay natural”.
“We’d hate to see stairs from the top,” he said.
“The climb down is part of the experience. You have to earn the chance to jump.”
Mitch Burcheri, who is also a member of the group, said even regulars could get into trouble during dives.
“I broke my coccyx (tailbone) about a month ago,” he said.
“It was windy and the water was really choppy. I landed in a trough.”
The trio all agreed that seeking advice from a local before diving was the best advice for visitors.
“We’ve jumped just about every part of the cliffs and in all kinds of conditions,” Mr Burke said.
Checking the depth of the water and avoiding low tide was also critical.
