Teenager injured while diving off cliff at Comino

Willie Sammut

Jul 4th 2012, 09:43

Mr. Arpa. I guess you were never a Teenager? To be young and foolish again.Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life.

Mr Adrian Zahra

Jul 4th 2012, 05:36

proset profs kliem tad deheb. ghalkemm zgur m ghandix farka tal esperjenzi tieghek. x student.

Michael Camileri

Jul 4th 2012, 08:07

Pule' Carmel.... Sounds like you are a 'real man'!!!

in my opinion, jumping off a cliff or riding motorcycle is not a method of proving worth (but this is a personal view)... What you said sounds very shallow (excuse the pun).

Reinhard Azzopardi

Jul 4th 2012, 09:26

Beautiful words Mr. Pule and it sounds like you had a blast.

What's youngster's life without thrills? I'm 33 and no longer throw myself off cliffs into the sea (for some reason I'm getting scared) but I used to have a total buzz running off the chalet in Sliema at 4 a.m. after a night out. It was something we did often and looked forward to. We used to keep a pair of swimming shorts and an old pair of sneakers in the car so run as fast as possible and throw ourselves as far out as we could. God I miss those days!

Carmelo Azzopardi

Jul 4th 2012, 10:08

You talk like this only because you never ended up in a wheel chair or maybe worse. Why don't ask those that because of their so called "bravati" now unfortunately are spending their life looking at the ceiling of a ward in Mater Dei or maybe you can ask their families what they think about such risks. Thank God you were lucky to be here to write about your experience but at least be sincere and be responsible towards other youths who might think about doing anything similar.

Reinhard Azzopardi

Jul 4th 2012, 11:12

@Carmelo Azzopardi

Yes you're right. I agree with you but one can't go through life being scared of ending up in a wheel chair.

Pule' Carmel

Jul 4th 2012, 17:34

Well, let me make this clear. Whatever i did and the risks I took in life where not considered as bravati!

They were considered and weighed up and slowly I prepared myself for whatever I did. Slowly I considered the situation and when I jumped off the cliff, it was weeks of preparation and training on my own. First a shallow dive and I weighed up the landing. If I fell on my tummy, I took another launching and if I fell on my back well something had to be done till I ent in straight into the water, The higher I jumped the more I had to enter straight in to the water.
When it came to summersaulting forward and backwards, I made sure that I leaned out as much as possible and then after launching I curled myself up to lower the inertia and then opened up again to slow it down for a good entry. THERE WAS NEVER A DARE OR PIKA AND JIEN QATT MA TAJT MAJNATA LIL HADD,
Whatever I did I weighed up carefully.

In riding from Dover to Scotland on a 30 cc motorcycle which took me 15 hours I trained for it for three months. Making sure that both my mental and physical condition were right for the ordeal. It was exciting and I thoroughly enjoyed it , I did that journey aout four times.

What I am describing is what I did at Toqba tal Birgu and believe me there were some intelligent children att Cottonera whose talents were never detected by the teachers and other political members who came to Vittoriosa square blabbering away.

Please go into what I said and you will find that other countries have children who do much more than I did.

I remember Nadia Comateci and Olga Korut who did so well in the olympic games. There were people who took part in diving competitions in the olympic and they summersaulted higher than I ever did and we all admire them. Why is that that people are against me for telling young people to risk a llittle but go for it and find a way to succeed . Diving is easy.
While I was at Newcastle University for rag week and charity I once volunteered to jump rom Newcastle Arched Bridge into the Tyne. There were people who wanted to offer me £2000 for the jump.
I planned this jump carefully . I was to arranged for a five foot parachute to be tied to my feet with a light chord and this would have slowed me down from 90 miles per hour to about 40 miles per hour which is not such a bad speed to enter the water. I even informed the police of my charity stunt. The police allowed it at first but then they told me. " We are not worried that you are not successful with the jump, that will be OK but we are more worried that the TYne is so dirty with industrial waiste that you will die of pison if you swollow a gulp of it.
Well enentually I decided not to make the jump and the institution who promised me the £2000 still gave what it promised.
I love watching the olympic games and races as Oxford and Cambride and paraglidiong and all the other sport including suit diving. As long as we are conscious of what we do and we plan it carefully, all children should have a go at risking it. Imma mhux imharta w lanqas bravati.

What children from other countries do in olyimic sport our Maltese children should be encouraged to do.
I believe that the leaders who lead a country are not those who never take a risk.

I think brave was he who ate the first oyster! It takes some guts to eat some food. If you need to live you must consider taking risks even in the choice of foods. In Malta we are so spoilt and now with no examiinations and examinations spread over a long long time we will have no winners and no losers, but that system bear no resemblance to anytihng that esists in life.

Here is a good one to show the Mentality of some Maltes sportmen. Some years ago the Italian Sport committe invited Maltese rowers to train in Italy. When they were there the trainer told the four people concerned that they had to diet a lot. The right food was imperative to gain strenght. You know these four fat Maltese rowers dieted during the day and woke up and ravished whatever there was in the refrigerator during the night. YOU SEE THEY COULD NOT RISK NOT EATING WELL AS MALTESE USUALY DO. the trainer simply gave then their passports and made them take the first plane to Malta to live without risk! and so no winnings in olymic class examinations !!!!!! we shall have all our children going to MCAST and MATSEC were all children can take their time to pass examiinations without any risks. Good luck to such a mentality, it produces people, but not for certain positions where risks and emergencies are to nbe met.

Ramon Casha

Jul 3rd 2012, 16:28

That's a ridiculous suggestion. Everywhere can be dangerous. What should we do? Wall off the entire coast except sandy beaches?

Toni Borg

Jul 3rd 2012, 17:21

Shall we place a few dozen wardens on Comino as well ???

Neville Cutajar

Jul 3rd 2012, 17:29

Int bi serjeta, illum bdew iwegghu in-nies ?

Jekk ma toqghodx attent dejjem tista twegga. Inti meta kont zghir kont tghix go borza ta rixx?

And boys will be boys and will try anything for a dare, most of the time things go well when they don't they appear on the news :-)

Salvino Apasa

Jul 3rd 2012, 16:14

police presence?? where are we living, in communist China? how about parent responsibility in the case of kids, and self responsibility in the case of older teens?

Chris Gatt

Jul 3rd 2012, 17:37

How about if we put signs up all over the island saying "Danger: Life! - Use wisely!"