Man Rescued From Surf After Falling From Santa Cruz Cliff Over Holiday Weekend

A 25-year-old man was rescued from the surf on Sunday after tumbling from the cliff to the beach near East Cliff Drive and 35th Avenue, according to the Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz.

Friends said they searched for the man for approximately 30 minutes after the fall, then called 911 shortly after 3 a.m., said Mike DeMars, public information officer.

Central Fire District rescue swimmers entered the water to search the surf area, and a sheriff’s deputy, equipped with night-vision goggles, spotted the individual floating on his back approximately 100 yards offshore, DeMars said.

The man was found to have head trauma and was in an “altered level of consciousness,” and he was transferred to the Harbor Patrol boat, then to an ambulance at the Santa Cruz Harbor and transported to Valley Medical Center, he said.

No information was released on his current condition.