A tourist was rescued on Wednesday from a cliff above San Francisco’s Ocean Beach after she was spotted clinging to the rocks in her swimsuit.
It happened after the woman, who was visiting from Europe, went for a swim at Kelly’s Cove, Lt. Mariano Elias with the San Francisco Fire Department told SFGATE.
While swimming in the cove, the woman realized the current was too strong and swam up to the rocks, Elias said, and then climbed up the cliff.
The woman climbed high up on the cliff face in windy conditions and eventually got stuck, he said. A bystander called authorities just after 4 p.m., and first responders from the fire department and the California Highway Patrol reported to the scene.
A rescuer was lowered to the woman using a rope system. Video footage from KGO-TV shows the barefoot woman climbing back up to the top of the cliff during the rescue.
Elias said that climbing the cliff is tough, and waters can be fierce, so visitors should be cautious when in the area.
“If you’re unfamiliar with the area, don’t swim in here. You gotta be a strong swimmer. The water is cold. Even though it’s maybe warm outside, it’s roughly between 50 to 55 degrees, normally around this time,” he said. “… You can get slammed up against the rocks from the waves.”