Read time: about 2.5 minutes. Published 2026-02-01

While we do enjoy exciting adventures from time to time, we wouldn’t be described as adrenaline junkies, or even thrill-seekers. But when we were in Jamaica in 2013, we took the plunge – literally! From a 35-foot cliff!

We went on the “Let’s Go Native Negril Adventure Tour” on our third full day in Jamaica. I don’t remember what made us pick this one, other than it sounded like a really fun tour. The bus picked us up from the resort at 11:00 AM and headed out for Negril. Our tour guide, Dalton, was fantastic! He kept us all entertained with fun facts and trivia about Jamaica, some phrases to use on the island, and some good jokes sprinkled in. 

The first stop was the Sandals Negril resort, where we ate a wonderful buffet lunch and went snorkeling in a coral reef. The area had a lot of diverse and colorful fishes and clear, calm water. Afterwards, we headed to a shopping mall to check out some local wares – mostly trinkets and souvenirs for tourists. There were a couple more quick shopping stops, and at one of them some young kids came onto the bus selling chocolates. We bought some.

The last stop was the main attraction – Rick’s Café, a popular destination in Negril. One of the things it’s most famous for is cliff diving! Of the entire bus full of people, only about 5 or 6 were brave enough to jump, and we were two of them! After some instructions from an experienced cliff diver – cross your ankles, plug your nose, hold your breath – Adam was the first to give it a shot. 

Adam walked to the edge, and with just a moment of hesitation, down he went! It was exhilarating! After swimming to the ladder and climbing out, he took over the camera, and Victoria headed up to have a turn.

There was a longer moment of hesitation, but eventually Victoria psyched herself up enough and down she went too! Victoria was terrified, and it felt like it took forever to hit the water, even though it was barely over 1 second. Unfortunately, her angle was a little off, and she bruised her tailbone when hitting the water. This made it painful to sit for the rest of the trip.

Adam wanted to go a second time, but in hindsight should have stopped after the first one. The second time, his hand slipped off his nose, and water shot all the way up his sinuses, which took days to fully drain and caused occasional headaches over the next few days. 

After cliff jumping, we enjoyed some amazing jerk chicken and relaxed to reggae music. Dalton (with a plate of food balanced on his head) danced with Victoria a little. Later he said she “had some Jamaican music in her”.

We took some amazing photos together as light rain fell at sunset. It was beautiful.

Even though we were both a little worse for wear, this was still one of the most memorable days, and a wonderful time we got to spend together!