Coasteering is one of those activities that looks wild on Instagram and sounds alarming to any parent whose child is begging to try it. Jumping off rocks into the sea, swimming through sea caves, scrambling along cliff faces — as a well-worn coasteering saying goes: ‘all the things your parents told you NOT to do at the beach’! But is it safe?

The honest answer is: yes — if you choose a provider who has qualified, experienced guides with the right safety procedures in place, a rigorous training regime and the best safety equipment.

Here’s exactly what that looks like at Tenby Adventure and here’s why we’ve taken over 20,000 people coasteering safely over the last ten years:

What the Risks Actually Are

Coasteering comes with risks (so many of the best things do…) that need to be managed. The activity was developed in Pembrokeshire in the 1980s and has been run commercially for decades. The risks are real but well understood:

Cold water — managed through quality wetsuits and close monitoring by guides
Slippery surfaces — managed through footwear, guide instruction on technique and close supervision
Waves and swell — managed by guide experience, dynamic risk assessment, and choosing conditions carefully
Cliff jumps — every jump is assessed and optional; participants never jump if they don’t want to. Guides are experts in managing jumps safely and will test your technique on smaller hops – they’ll be watching you!

Our Guides and Qualifications

All Tenby Adventure coasteering guides are multi-qualified outdoor professionals with massive experience across a range of disciplines. New guides usually come to us with previous experience of coasteering but everyone goes through our own in-house training syllabus.

How Tenby Adventure Guides are different

Experience — All our lead guides have shadowed experienced coasteering guides before becoming assistants and will sometimes spend one or two whole seasons assisting before they become lead guides.
Training — Our in-house training regime covers tidal and weather assessment, water rescue techniques, first aid techniques and group management in dynamic coastal environments. Tenby Adventure guides’ ongoing training is – we believe – the best in the industry.
Equipment — As well as standard coasteering guide kit our guides carry state of the art satellite beacons (signal for phones or radios is often limited where coasteering takes place). Our venue kit includes an extensive first aid kit and group shelter. We believe in a belt-and-braces approach to safety!

Our guides assess conditions before every session. If conditions aren’t safe, the route is adjusted or the session is rescheduled. All our guides know that the final say on the conditions is theirs – they are never under pressure to get you in the sea if they think it isn’t safe.

Safety Equipment on Every Session

Full-length 5mm wetsuit — thermal protection in Pembrokeshire’s sea temperatures
Buoyancy aid — provides flotation support in the water
Helmet — protects against contact with rocks

Is Coasteering Safe for Children?

Yes — with the right operator. Tenby Adventure takes participants from age 8 upwards. We keep a close eye on the smaller kids (they can get cold). Jumps are graded and presented as optional — a youngster is never pressured to jump anything they’re not comfortable with. That said, it’s often dad who’s actually scared…

If you’re booking for under 18s who won’t be accompanied by an adult, make sure the provider is AALA licensed to do so.

How We Assess Conditions

Days before every session, we’re checking multiple weather and sea-state models to get a solid grasp of the overall picture. On the day itself our lead guides check swell height and direction, tidal windows, wind speed and direction, and the forecast for the day. Our guides are on-site early to get a feel for the conditions and if they don’t meet our internal threshold, we reschedule with full flexibility (and a refund if you can’t make another day.