The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department released video of a nighttime rescue after a man fell from Pappy’s Point at Sunset Cliffs on July 28. An off-duty U.S. Coast Guard member kept the victim afloat until lifeguards and rescue boats arrived, and crews used a Stokes basket and cable-haul system to lift him to the road. He was taken to hospital with traumatic injuries; officials have not provided a condition update. The incident was one of multiple recent rescues at the cliffs, where jumping and climbing are illegal and highly dangerous.
Dramatic Nighttime Rescue After Man Falls From Sunset Cliffs' Pappy’s Point
Image Credit: San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Instagram.
A man was critically injured after falling from the cliffs at Pappy’s Point on Sunset Cliffs, one of San Diego’s best-known coastal viewpoints. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department released video showing the complex, nighttime operation to recover him from the water and raise him to safety.
Rescue Operation
Responders arrived shortly after 7:50 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28. Officials said the man had been climbing the face of the cliff when he reportedly fell, struck rocks and landed in the ocean. An off-duty U.S. Coast Guard member entered the water and kept the injured man afloat until lifeguards and a rescue boat reached the scene.
Crews deployed a Stokes basket and a cable-haul system to retrieve the victim. Rescuers lowered the basket from the top of the cliffs while a teammate descended alongside it; lifeguards stabilized the man on a floating stretcher until he could be transferred into the basket for the hoist. Rescue boats and a personal watercraft blocked access to the area while onlookers watched from above.
The operation continued after sunset. Fire officials said the man was quickly transferred to waiting medics once he reached the roadway and was transported to a hospital with traumatic injuries. Officials have not provided an updated condition report.
Related Incidents and Safety Warning
This fall was one of two rescues at Sunset Cliffs that day. San Diego NBC affiliate KNSD reported another man injured his leg near Ladera Street and required airlifting to a hospital. Two days earlier, crews rescued a 17-year-old who was hurt after jumping from the cliffs and was treated for a leg injury.
Authorities reiterate: Cliff jumping and climbing at Sunset Cliffs is illegal and extremely dangerous. The fire department warns that unstable edges and the rocky shoreline can lead to serious injury or death.
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