My workout: Gareth Chilton, 25, coasteerer – ‘I get a buzz doing scary stuff’

You have to know about riptides, the waves and water depths, as well as the rocks you can’t see from above the surface

When I was a kid, I used to jump off the old harbour wall in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, with my friends. It was around four metres high and was a bit of an adrenaline rush, though we made sure there were no boats around. After that we progressed to the coastline, exploring cliffs, jumping a little bit higher and daring each other to go further. This was similar to coasteering, but I didn’t realise that until I went on a school trip and tried it.

I loved it then and I still do. I always describe it as everything you’re not really allowed to do at the beach. It’s grappling with the coastline in a way that you can’t do in a boat or from the shore, getting from A to B but in an exciting way: traversing rocks, looking into caves, jumping into the sea from various heights and playing around in the water. But you need to have a guide who knows what they’re doing and whose local knowledge makes it safe; I’m now a guide myself.

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