Video captures moment tourist is swept into turbulent waves after leaping from rocky shore: 'Known to have the largest white sharks in the world'

A daredevil tourist was in for a rude awakening in Cape Town, South Africa.

In a video posted to Instagram, the tourist is seen jumping into the ocean at the Cape Town shore. When the tourist plunged into the water, the ocean's current was relatively calm.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stellar Realities | Space Facts & Science News (@stellarrealities)

However, as the tourist began to swim back to land, increasingly violent waves picked up, sending the person thrashing around the rocks of a nearby jetty.

The poster of the video, Stellar Realities (@stellarrealities), explained, "Tourists were left shocked as calm waters suddenly turned violent within seconds."

A stunt like this in this part of the African coast is very ill-advised for several reasons. First off, as we see in the video, the ocean's current can quickly cause violent waves at a moment's notice.

As many commenters pointed out, these waters are also filled with great white sharks and other dangerous marine life.

There are also several rock formations nearby where the tourist jumped. While this tourist fortunately didn't land on any rocks, cliff diving accidents involving unexpected rock collisions are an all too common occurrence.

The video ends without the tourist making it back onto the shore, but it seems like they eventually made it out all right, according to one commenter.

Clips like this not only serve as a cautionary tale for those looking to cliff dive into dangerous water, but it is also a reminder that taking part in such activities can be harmful for the underwater ecosystem you're diving into.

Due to the unexpected nature of the activity, cliff jumping into water can result in the striking and subsequent death of fish and other marine life, as another Redditor shared. Even if hitting a larger creature may be a rare occurrence, the practice could still disturb sensitive habitats.

What would you do if natural disasters were threatening your home? Move somewhere else 🌎 Reinforce my home 🏠 Nothing 🤷 This is happening already 😬 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Hope [they] got out safe," one commenter said.

Another user pointed out the absurdity of the situation, saying, "Plunging into … where it's known to have the largest white sharks in the world right next to giant rocks with swirling currents. What could go wrong…"

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.