Coney Island’s Steeplechase Pier is a popular spot for fishing and diving as well as for people-watching and photography. For photographer Kevin C Downs, who spends his summers running an annual photo documentary workshop at Coney Island USA, the pier is a magnet. His photos and video capture the daredevil spirit of the pier divers, who defy the “No Diving” signs for the thrill of the jump. Says one teenager: “It’s like…the adrenalin rush. It’s high. It’s better than going on any rides. It’s cheaper than Six Flags.”
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While jumping may be free, the bail can be costly if you are one of the ones caught by security. I was going to jump until I saw someone who did get arrested.
The “No Diving” signs and the periodic arrests are because of an accident that happened back in the 1990’s.
“The warnings were added by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in response to a court case that resulted in the highest affirmed personal injury award in New York State history.
In September 2000, New York Appellate Court upheld a combined $38 million award for Virgil and John Brown, two Staten Island brothers who on Memorial Day, 1992, dived from the pier into five feet of water and became paralyzed from the neck down. ”
http://journalism.nyu.edu/portfolio/ditto/Steeplechase_Pier.html