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Coasteering
This is an exciting group activity that has developed from sea level traversing – a fun form of climbing, popular in Pembrokeshire since the 1960s. Coasteering usually involves a mixture of rock climbing, swimming, scrambling and jumping, all taking place a few metres above or below sea level. This is all great fun, particularly on a sunny day with blue skies and a few small waves but should not be underestimated.
A sudden change in the weather, tides or swell conditions can turn any trip into a serious undertaking where any injuries can cause great difficulty of escape from the cliff base. Proper equipment and, more importantly, detailed knowledge of the environment, first aid and sea conditions are essential for a successful trip.
The Pembrokeshire Coast provides a superb setting for this activity with a huge variety of locations from vertical cliffs dropping straight into the sea to sheltered coves and caves. The rocks, wildlife and unspoilt environment are some of the main attractions of the activity, all of which need to be respected in order to allow sustainable use of the very special locations currently used. We have decided not to highlight coasteering locations because this is an activity best tackled with local, trained group leaders. The main coasteering areas are on the St Davids peninsula and the south coast.
For further information about Coasteering look up the Pembrokeshire Outdoor Charter Group.
Related links
Outdoor Pursuits And Conservation
Pembrokeshire Outdoor Charter Members
Top Tips
- Many of the outdoor activity centres offer guided coasteering sessions at a variety of levels and will provide you with all the essential safety equipment including wetsuits, helmets and buoyancy aids together with the knowledge to appreciate the special habitats that you will be seeing from a unique perspective.
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To help keep this activity sustainable coasteering follows the same seasonal agreed access restrictions as climbing which can be found on the BMC link below.
Healthy You
Coasteering is an exciting and fun activity! It is physically demanding, involving scrambling up and down the rocky foreshore, as well as going in and out of the water and some swimming. It is a fantastic way to develop fitness, meet new people and boost confidence and self-esteem.
RNLI message
The RNLI advises people to only take part in coasteering as part of a group, which has:
- Professionally trained staff (both technical and water safety based)
- Adequate insurance cover
- Safety equipment (helmets, wetsuit etc)
- Emergency evacuation/accident procedures in place using pre-defined routes.
The RNLI would like to emphasise that, when Coasteering is conducted by a well-trained leader using appropriate techniques and equipment, there is a much lower risk of getting hurt.
However, people must remember that this is still a dangerous sport and is not without risk. Please take a moment to check out the RNLI video on tombstoning below.