A father from St David’s was in a critical condition last night after suffering serious head and neck injuries while jumping off rocks at a beach.The 40-year-old was knocked unconscious as he jumped into the water at Admiralty House Park in Pembroke at 5.37pm on Saturday. The tragedy struck while the beach was busy with families, most of whom were attending a birthday celebration.The victim was pulled to the beach by family members, and an off duty Emergency Medical Technician and nurse began cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR].According to a police spokesman: “They managed to get the man breathing; however he remained unconscious, and the pair continued CPR until the paramedics arrived.”The man was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where he was said by a spokeswoman to be a critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit last night. The police did not make the man’s name public, and his family could not be reached for comment.A concerned neighbour of the victim described him as a “very nice guy” who is a carpenter and jack-of-all-trades. He had just finished “fixing up” the home he shares with his wife and family.The neighbour saw the wife heading for the hospital soon after the accident.“I saw the car flying up the road but I didn’t find out what happened until some hour this morning,” he said yesterday.According to the neighbour, the man has three children; two daughters and a son.“I really didn’t believe the news. I was only talking to him about an hour-and-a-half before it happened,” he said.“The area where it happened is messed up. I don’t go swimming there. The bottom [of the sea] is unreadable and I think yesterday was one of those abnormally low tides.”Sirkka Huish, a reporter with The Royal Gazette, happened to be visiting the beach until shortly before the accident. She said: “Throughout the afternoon, the beach was busy with mainly families. Most of them seemed to be attending a birthday party. Things got a lot busier at about 4pm or so when the sun cooled down. Most adults were sitting under gazebos, or under the shade of the tree on the beach. There were also about ten people sitting on the jetty.”She added: “It’s hard to know who was part of the birthday party and who was just at the beach. But I’d say there were at least 75 people buzzing about. At all times there were about 30 to 35 people in the water; these were mostly children with a handful of parents. Children could be seen playing with noodles and jumping off the jetty as their friends clapped and cheered them on. One father was in the water with his two young children teaching them how to swim.”Shawn Crockwell is the MP for the Pembroke West constituency where the accident happened. He described the beach as a popular spot for families in the summer.He said: “It’s obviously tragic. It’s a common summer activity for people to dive off the rocks there but clearly there’s an inherent danger, as you may not appreciate how shallow the water is. Although I don’t know what happened there or why he was injured so badly, this is something that unfortunately happens from time to time.“I’d like to express my concern and my sympathy to the family and let them know they are in my prayers.”Lovitta Foggo, the MP for the St David’s constituency where the victim lives, said: “I’ve left a message with the family to see if they need any assistance. It’s an extremely unfortunate and tragic event. It just underscores that, even during times when people are having fun, caution must be exercised, particularly with water activities.”lPolice appealed for anyone who witnessed the accident to call them on 295 0011.