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“Spoiler alert: Your viral jump ends in the hospital,” reads a new sign in the District of North Vancouver’s Lynn Canyon Park aimed at informing a younger audience about the dangers of cliff jumping.
“Your friends might cheer. First responders won’t,” reads another.
They are both part of a new campaign by the district aimed at raising awareness about cliff jumping at the popular park, which has seen 40 such deaths over the past 50 years and taxed local responders.
North Vancouver RCMP said the park gets more than 500,000 visits each year. It’s about a 15-kilometre drive from downtown Vancouver and features a suspension bridge across the canyon, boardwalks, and stairs that hug fenced-off, at times steep drop-offs, where people often jump into pools of cold water below.
Those drop-offs can be 10 metres or higher.
“Although much of the cliff access is fenced off with warning signs, people still go out of bounds, over the fences to cliff jump,” said District of North Vancouver Fire Chief Mike Danks.
The new signs are in addition to ones already in place that show the stark statistics of injuries and deaths.
“We installed bold new signs designed to resonate with younger visitors and reinforce the dangers of cliff jumping,” the district said in a news release.
“Cliff jumping might look cool, but it’s seriously dangerous — and sometimes deadly.”
Cliff jumping in Lynn Canyon Park is not a criminal offence, “but we strongly advise against it,” said Cpl. Mansoor Sahak in a recent video posted by the force to its social media channels.
#NorthVan RCMP and @DNVFRS are once again cautioning Lynn Canyon parkgoers about the dangers of cliff jumping. Every year, Police and Fire respond to countless rescues in Lynn Canyon Park. Tragically, there have been more than 40 deaths in Lynn Canyon over the last 50 years. pic.twitter.com/NXDmym78go
Consuming alcohol is prohibited in the park, but officials say it is often used by people cliff jumping. Patrollers can issue fines to people caught drinking in the park under B.C.’s Liquor Control and Licensing Act.
Beyond the risks of drinking in precarious places, officials say there is the danger of a cliff jumper slipping and falling or hitting a rock face on their way down. And, there’s the icy temperature of the water, which Danks and Sahak say can shock jumpers and cause hypothermia within minutes.
“The water is very, very cold, a lot of people don’t realize this,” said Danks.
The District of North Vancouver has put up new signs in Lynn Canyon Park to discourage dangerous cliff jumping. As Kier Junos reports, visitors are cautioned that water levels and conditions can change rapidly, and the canyon cliffs can be steep, slippery and, in some cases, unstable.
Sahak said peer pressure to jump has played a role in some of the jumping deaths at Lynn Canyon Park with the majority of victims being young people.
“So we’re asking you, don’t peer pressure any of your friends into doing something dangerous that could cost them their life.”
The district says it has increased the number of patrols conducted by park rangers to help educate park visitors.
