Social media turned Sunset Cliffs into a dangerous playground for young cliff jumpers

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Set us as preferred SAN DIEGO — As dusk approached San Diego’s seaside enclave of Ocean Beach, its Sunset Cliffs bustled on a recent Friday evening.Two engaged couples posed for wedding photos in between joggers, dog walkers and sightseers who clamored around Osprey Street to enjoy the day’s majestic sunset.It was a deceptively idyllic setting for what authorities say is continued lawbreaking and peril, which authorities just can’t seem to quash.The lawbreakers were gathered this day on a cliff and a nearby arch, a crowd of around 50 young people — 14- to 20-year-olds, mostly males.

Buoyed by a youthful sense of invincibility, they dared one another to leap, waiting for another to move, like emperor penguin chicks before a first arctic plunge.After a few minutes, there was a dive off the arch, followed by a cannonball from the next person, a backflip from a third and then other more spectacular and daring stunts from the flock.The cliff divers, drawn to the thrills of the illicit jumps amplified by social media, reveled in dozens of leaps.No one was injured that day, but that hasn’t always been the case.At least three individuals were rescued after suffering injuries this summer at Sunset Cliffs, leading police to ramp up enforcement as locals debate the need for safety versus the merits of youthful rites of passage.Back home in Iowa, Marcus English said he’d probably be hosting bonfires or hitting up local pools in mid- to late August.Instead, the 17-year-old was at the cliffs enjoying his last few days off before beginning his senior year of high school.“There are some places to jump, some lakes in Iowa,” he said, “but nothing like this.”English wangled a stop during a weeklong family trip to California that included national park visits to stop by Sunset Cliffs, which he saw on social media.The ...