A man taking photos inside a sea cave in San Diego, Calif., was trapped 60 feet below by the rising tide on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Lifeguards rescued the man from an area of Sunset Cliffs Natural Park below Monaco Avenue, known as “the sinkhole,” the San Diego Fire and Rescue Department said in a Facebook post. The massive sea cave, with a round opening at its top, is carved into bluffs that sit right on the water.
The rescue team used a customized fire truck to hoist the man from the cave back up to the street, the department said. Photos showed the man hanging from the hoist in a harness with a lifeguard.
The man was not injured.
The 68-acre Sunset Cliffs park stretches along the Pacific Ocean on the Point Loma peninsula’s western edge, offering dramatic views from its sandstone cliffs, as well as the opportunity to observe marine life in tide pools. It is popular with San Diego residents and visitors alike, and photographers often come here to capture its carved cliff formations, arches and caves along with sweeping views of the ocean. A local publication found that the park sees an average of 5 deaths a year, from cliff falls to surfers getting caught in caves.