by: Amber Coakley / Fox5 San Diego / Feb 1, 2026
A surfer was rescued Saturday morning, January 31, after being swept off the rocks by powerful waves at Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue officials.
At about 8:55 a.m., the unidentified surfer was attempting to enter the water from the cliffs when a wave struck her, knocking her into the ocean. Additional waves then pushed her back into the cliff and surrounding rocks, officials said.
[Here’s videographer Ed Baier’s video of rescue.]
Two surfers who were already in the water immediately came to help her. The Good Samaritans helped move the woman into a safer area and placed her on a surfboard while waving for help. Meanwhile, bystanders on shore called 911, prompting a response from San Diego Lifeguards.
San Diego Fire-Rescue deployed a land unit and two rescue vessels to the scene. Lifeguards performed a water rescue and transported the woman to lifeguard headquarters, where an ambulance and paramedic were standing by.
The surfer was assessed at the scene and then taken to a local hospital. Her condition was not immediately released, though her injuries were not considered life-threatening.
John Maher, a marine safety lieutenant with San Diego Fire-Rescue, said conditions along the cliffs can be especially dangerous during elevated surf.
“When surfing, entering the water from the rocks, swimming anytime — there’s elevated surf and large tide swings. It can be really dangerous,” Maher explained. “The rocks are slippery. The surf comes in sets, so there’s periods where there’s not that much surf and then all of a sudden there’s large waves that can bash up against the rocks. It is very important to know your limits… use the buddy system.”
Officials are reminding beachgoers and surfers to use caution when entering the water, particularly along rocky coastlines like Sunset Cliffs, and to avoid going alone in hazardous conditions.
Back in 1960, my friend John Graham and I were walking our usual route on a rock and sand stretch of Sunset Cliffs and suddenly a surfboard shot in to the sand on a wave. John grabbed the board, but we found no surfer. We spent several hours walking back and forth for about a mile and along the parking lots looking for the owner of the board. No one recognized the board or reported anyone missing. As it got late in the afternoon, John and I took the board to his place on Devonsire Drive. For several years, we used it for surfing and as a skindiving platform. I moved away in 1962 and over the years we speculated as to the fate of the surfer. I lost track of John Graham in 1970. To this day, I remember the red diamond shaped decal with the name Velzy and Jacobs and have wondered if it should be in a museum?