Marcus English first discovered the picturesque bluffs in San Diego the way many teenagers do now: through viral social media clips showing crowds of young people leaping about 20 feet into the ocean below.
“It’s just so freeing. There’s nothing like it,” the 17-year-old Iowa resident told The Los Angeles Times.
But the thrill has come with serious consequences for others. Over the summer, at least three people suffered life-threatening injuries after slamming into rocks with such force that they could not walk and had to be airlifted from the area.
San Diego teen Eli Twitty said in a now-deleted Instagram comment that he was among those severely hurt, describing six fractured vertebrae, a bruised tailbone and six stitches in one foot. He said the injuries left him wondering whether he would ever walk again.
“For everyone who wants to tell me I’m an idiot for that, trust me, I’m well aware,” he wrote, adding a blunt warning to others: “Do NOT attempt.”
From June 1 through September 1 this year, lifeguards carried out 5,480 rescues along the 17 miles of San Diego coastline they monitor, The Times reported.
The area typically sees between 7,500 and 8,000 rescues annually. Many involve swimmers who underestimate powerful currents, but officials also encounter teenagers who disregard the do-not-jump signs posted along the cliffs.
With serious injuries continuing to mount, some residents are urging tougher deterrents, including coastal warning signs displaying photos of people who have died there.
Social media videos have helped draw hundreds of teenagers and young adults to jump from Sunset Cliffs in San Diego
Although many jumps end without incident and deliver an adrenaline rush, at least three people have suffered life-threatening injuries. Jumping from the cliffs is illegal
“Jumping off of Sunset Cliffs isn’t just illegal – it’s incredibly dangerous,” the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said in a July Facebook post.
“Please avoid these areas to prevent injuries or worse. It’s not worth it.”
The San Diego Police Department has issued 300 warnings this summer alone, and given out roughly 20 citations,’ Public Information Officer Saum Poorsaleh told Our News Outlet.
The police department does not ‘maintain a presence along our vast cliff spaces,’ and is typically only called in to handle the ‘many higher priority calls-for-service,’ Poorsaleh said.
The San Diego Park Rangers and San Diego Lifeguard Rescue handle the majority of the cases, the officer said. Our News Outlet has reached out to them for comment.
But despite the growing number of videos showing teens being airlifted out of the water, more and more people continue to show up to test their fate.
‘Every time I go there lately, there’s more people than the last,’ a TikToker named Noah complained in a July video. ‘How much longer is it going to be before that cliff jumping spot at Sunset Cliffs in San Diego is just completely shut down?
‘It makes me think our days with Sunset Cliffs are numbered. At least to me, that place is a staple in San Diego.’
Rescue workers had to use a tactical rope to get an injured man out of the water in July
Hundreds of people watched on the man was lifted out of the water. The San Diego Police Department has issued 300 warnings and around 20 citations for jumping this year
Despite its mass popularity, cliff diving at Sunset Cliffs has always been illegal. City ordinance prohibits jumping off anything over five feet tall.
But many teens are ignoring signs and lifeguard warnings for the chance at getting a cheap thrill.
For an unidentified 17-year-old, that ended in him being airlifted out of the water after he failed to safely clear the rocks.
A viral video showed him leaping over a sloping pile of rocks, where his bottom hit a jutting-out part, sending him bouncing face-first into the water in July.
Another person can be seen jumping in to assist him shortly after he entered the water, but he later had to be pulled out using a technical rescue rig system.
Days later, two others had to be rescued.
‘I slammed against the rock, and I felt paralyzed, and I couldn’t move,’ one of the three, believed to be Twitty, told Fox 5 San Diego. Our News Outlet has reached out to Twitty for comment.
‘My lungs were burning, my ribs were burning, my spine – it was the weirdest feeling; it was just burning.’
Depending on the water level, anyone jumpng off Sunset Cliffs drops 15 to 20 feet
Brook Hjelm lost her 23-year-old son Brian Wilson during a swimming accident at Sunset Cliffs in 2015. She urged officials to put up signs with photos of those who had died along with danger signs in the area.
‘Let them see the face of something that associates them with what truly is at stake,’ Hjelm told the local CBS station in 2019.
It was the same year when 15-year-old Anthony Womack lost his life. The sophomore jumped from the cliff after skipping school with friends, according to The Times.
He was rescued from the ocean after he was underwater for nearly an hour.
According to a report by OB Rag, from 2005 through 2017, there were 19 deaths and 49 people seriously injured from Sunset Cliffs and the waters below around Ocean Beach.
The half-a-mile area offers rugged coastline, picturesque sights and a view of the sprawling homes. People visit the spot for picnics, hikes and cliff jumping.
Many Hollywood movies have also been shot here, including scenes from Kate Hudson’s Almost Famous.
People jump from several places throughout the cliffs, but the most common launch point is the arch. The drop can range from 15 to 20 feet depending on the water level.
Jumpers often ignore signs and lifeguards’ warnings
The more dangerous areas that are popular amongst young jumpers are from the neighboring cliffs. Teens often jump from these 20- to 40-foot edges.
Locals are now debating what’s more important: the safety of the young visitors or the value of youthful rites of passage.
Many teens describe the act as ‘aura farming,’ a popular social media trend where one does something attention-grabbing to get popular.
Law enforcement and lifeguards have increased patrols after recent incidents. They warned visitors that it is illegal to jump or dive into the ocean.
Lifeguards were appointed to patrol the area on boats. To get jumpers off the cliffs, they were using bullhorns to grab their attention.
A truck was also parked near the cliff to ensure no visitors were jumping from the cliffs.
