Swimmer Missing After Jumping Off Cliff Near Seal Rock: Authorities

SANTA CRUZ, CA — A swimmer was missing Monday after disappearing Sunday into the water below the cliffs in the Seal Rock area of Santa Cruz, according to authorities.

Emergency personnel responded around 4:45 p.m. Sunday to the 700 block of West Cliff Road for reports of two swimmers who had jumped off a cliff and were struggling to return to shore, authorities said.

One of the swimmers escaped the water on their own but the other appeared to have become submerged, according to authorities.

Local, state and federal agencies responded, looking extensively for over an hour with drone assistance before the search from shore was ended due to resource concerns, authorities said. The U.S. Coast Guard remained at the scene to keep looking with both aircraft and a boat, according to authorities.

“Santa Cruz City Fire Department and allied agencies want to remind all members of the public to be extremely careful around West Cliff edges and always be aware of ocean conditions,” the agency said Monday morning in a news release.