http://blog.rickscafenegril.comQuick BlogcastTue, 02 Dec 2008 00:49:13 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1263745LukeI went to Rick's in June of 2005 while on my honeymoon. I dove and jumped off the cliff with no problems, but I advised my wife and others not to jump. I have years of experience diving and cliff jumping. I have been professionally coached as a diver. Diving or jumping off of anything in excess of 3 meters can cause serious injury. At 10 feet you are traveling at 17 MPH. At 20 feet you're moving at 25MPH and over 30 feet your traveling in excess of 30MPH. You wouldn't perform a car crash stunt like a professional driver, so don't perform a professional dive or jump without the requisite experience. The local divers and Rick's staff unfortunately don't provide any caution. Don't risk permanent injury trying something that you have no business doing.http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1263745Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:57:36 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1239930AddieWow, I feel a little better knowing that I'm not the only person that made this mistake. I recently was in Jamaica for a wedding. We visited Rick's Cafe our last day. I knew I wanted to jump as soon as I got there. I didn't think it was a bad idea at first and thought it would be easy to stay straight after jumping. Well boy I was wrong. As others stated on this blog, after jumping I closed my eyes, boy I wish I didn't, and mid air I started to tense up and lost concentration on keeping my legs straight. before I knew it I hit the water butt and back first. I had instant pain shoot up my spine and bruises on my butt and thighs. I have somewhat of a high tolerance for pain so I held out to see my doctor instead of going to Jamaica'a hospital. But damn that plan ride was hell. I hope that my x-rays show only bruising. :(http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1239930Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:58:06 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1194671JumperI visited Ricks June 2007 with a group of eight. Two of us jumped. I was 54 years old at the time so it was not the smartest thing I have ever done. I did bruise the back of my legs some, but it was not too bad. I grew up swimming and diving as a kid so I did have a situational awareness about me that helped me enter the water fairly safely. I would advise people not to jump. I am glad others in my group chose not to.http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1194671Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:59:12 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1162271Dana DickardMy husband and I visited Rick's Cafe last month. On the day before my son was to get married we all went to Rick's. Being the dare devils that we are we decided to jump. I did not land right and so therefore I hit the water butt first.....I have a cracked pelvic bone, severely bruised legs, torn hamstring muscle in the back of my right leg, bruised sternum and just found out yesterday that I had a concussion from the impact. My husband landed correctly and still broke his pelvic bone. The jump is just too far and you are taking a chance when you hit water with that kind of impact! I just hope that someone who is thinking of jumping will read all of these stories before going and NOT jump. It is VERY dangerous and I am just lucky that I'm not paralyzed or dead. Someone up above was looking out for me!!!http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1162271Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:28:04 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1158825AnonymousHi Patricia, I am so sorry about the injuries you have sustained. I really hope you recover soon. I was stupid enough to jump off of the cliff at Rick's Cafe, not once, but twice. I was there for a wedding back in 2000 and was so easily cajoled by friends. Luckily I did not suffer any long term injuries. I was in a lot of pain after the jump and had difficulty walking and sitting. I felt something was wrong with my spine. I was afraid I would never be able to walk normally again. The pain lasted several weeks, but fortunately went away. I totally agree that appropriate precaution/warnings need to be made to prevent further injuries and death. It's so easy to believe that cliff jumping at Rick's is safe when you arrive seeing all the excitement and people lining up to jump. Thank you for setting up the web page to warn everyone.http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1158825Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:27:33 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1004668JordanWow..i live in Jamaica but have never been to Ricks. Even if i went i know i wouldnt be jumping bcuz i cant swim neway. But the videos i see do look fun but kinda dangerous and i always wondered how is it that ive never heard of anyone being hurt:|until Last year my friend jumped and he went in face first..he felt disoriented and he doesnt kno how he swam back. His nose was bleeding and something was wrong with one of his eyes. Im so sorry to hear about all these injuries and these "lifeguards" they have. They really should not let ppl jump.. i was watching that G4 channel "Attack of the Show" last nite..and the host jumped and her thighs were black and blue:|they really need to start ensuring the safety of the tourists and the locals.http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-1004668Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:03:47 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-836975AnnMy 10 year old and son and I are going in May 2008 and had planned to go to Ricks Cafe after seeing Girls Next Door. The cliff jumping looked like so much fun and adventureous. Thank you so much for posting your web page and warning everyone about the dangers of jumping off the cliff. I had no idea it was so dangerous and could paralyze a person. We are DEFINETELY NOT jumping. I hope you recover from your injuries soon.http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-836975Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:10:16 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-834410Joe LeikhimWow; so much sadness at Ricks Cafe. Yes it is nuts to jump in there. Yes Ricks Cafe should not condone it. This should be an important lesson to all who travel outside their own country. Jamaica (like others) is a third world country. You take a risk that the medical care is substandard (even in the US this is so). Why put yourself at even greater risk when you travel? Keep your eyes open, drive carefully (probably most dangerous activity in Jamaica apart from Ricks Cafe) and don't take unusual risks. I feel most sorry for the woman whose dad died after swimming from a boat to Ricks Cafe. I am now almost twice the age I was when I first went to Ricks Cafe, I didn't jump then, and definitely won't now. Be safe and use common sense folks. And shame on Ricks Cafe, they should end this activity. By the way, I saw visitors doing exactly same thing off of high rocks in the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina. A bad jump and the same situation for those tourists, a serious injury and a painful wait/drive in an ambulance. Hopefully the wait in the ER won't be 6 hours like so many endure in the US.http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-834410Sat, 16 Feb 2008 20:07:08 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-818120LouiseI was at Rick's Cafe in March of 2006, my travel agent said it was a "must see" if I wanted to watch a beautiful sunset. It was definitely a beautiful place, and was quite fun. I enjoyed watching people jump, the music, and the atmosphere. My friend decided to jump and she was fine. Everyone was egging me on so I said.. "what the heck" let me do something that I would normally never do. it was our last night there and I had 1 beer because we were leaving early the next morning and had a long day of traveling ahead of us. Well after 15 minutes of standing on the platform and debating whether or not to do it..... I jumped. I didn't go in straight like a pencil, instead I hit the water on my back. I came up from under the water and was in shock, I don't know how I swan to the ladder, but I did and another tourist was there to give me a hand, he asked if I was okay and as soon as I stood up.... I passed out. They carried me to the shower and held me under the cold water. I finally came to. After about an hour of laying in a cabana and drinking some water, we left in a cab. I could not move, the next morning my legs, back, chest, chin, and arms for black, blue, and purple. I could not turn my neck or lift myself out of bed. On the flight home they gave me a whole row of seats and ice packs. I work in an Urgent Care center so when I got back of was checked out. I had some internal issues, the urine test had traces of blood which was due to bruised kidneys. I was in severe pain for at least 2 weeks, and my tail bone was bruised and painful for about 4-6 months. I'm lucky I didn't die. It's my own fault for jumping, however I do think that the so called life guard should warn you of the dangers. I also think that if someone like myself is on the platform for 15 minutes trying to get the nerve to jump, the staff should tell you not to do it instead of egging you on. Not to mention, there is not one EMT/paramedic on duty in case of an injury. Rick's Cafe was an absolutely beautiful place to see and I would recommend going there to anyone.... just don't jump unless your an Olympic champion diver.http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-818120Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:53:19 GMThttp://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-772799LeslieHow would I go about filing a personal lawsuit against Ricks Cafe?http://blog.rickscafenegril.com/2007/05/03/legal.aspx#comment-772799Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:05:24 GMT