On any summer day, a group of people mostly in their teens and 20s will be making the 30-foot leap from the Arch at Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach into the waters below, which vary in depth according to the tide and season. That was the case on Friday, Aug. 28, with youth doing what for some has become a rite of passage: cliff jumping. What’s it like? “Thrilling,” answered one woman, who requested anonymity. She was among several school-age people at Sunset Cliffs recently to check out the view – and the drop – which is top-rated on Yelp as offering “the best cliff jumping in San Diego.” La Jolla Cove and “the Clam,” further north up the coast, is ranked second. Another “jumper” on Aug. 28 noted the experience was “worth it. “At first when you jump, you get an empty feeling,” he said. “But right when you hit, it’s a sense of relief.” How deep was the water that day? “Deep enough,” responded one jumper. “I’d say about nine feet,” replied another. Asked if they’d been approached by police or lifeguards while jumping off the arches, those present said that they hadn’t seen either. How many jumped? “Thirty or 40 in the last hour,” said one person as another did a back-flip off the cliffs to cheers from their comrades urging them on. Obviously, cliff jumping is thrilling, but it’s also potentially dangerous, say lifeguards. Lifeguard Lt. James Gartland oversees the Ocean Beach and Sunset Cliffs area. He said cliff jumping at the “Arch” is not only dangerous – it’s illegal. “Any jump into the Pacific Ocean that is more than five feet is illegal according to the San Diego Municipal Code,” said Gartland, adding that prohibition has been on the books at least 20 years. “We do cite people,” Garland said, admitting the act has to be witnessed by a police officer or a lifeguard. That can be difficult, he added, given staff limitations and the busy summer season. As far back as June of 1996, the San Diego City Council enacted legislation fining cliff jumpers up to $280. Minors cited are required to appear with a parent in court. As of 2009, the fine had been increased to $500, which doesn’t include the cost of emergency service, which could cost upwards of $1,000 if a diver should be injured and require emergency care. Noting Sunset Cliffs and the Arch are “unguarded areas,” Gartland added, “We’ve been getting hundreds of people on the weekend,” driven there, apparently, by social media and local mainstream media coverage. Estimating Ocean Beach’s arches to be between 30 and 35 feet tall, Gartland pointed out that, depending on the tide, the depth of water being jumped into could be “as little as four or five feet.” “Some people will be jumping all day,” said Garland, warning, “but they may not notice that the tide has gone out and that they’re jumping into five feet or less of water. That’s when the injuries occur. People don’t jump in just the right place, and they land on the reef and hit the rocks, or they hit the (ocean) bottom.” Lifeguards do have a boat patrol in the area, said Garland, noting cliff jumpers will be warned – or cited – if they’re witnessed jumping. Gartland said he’s personally responded to injuries from cliff jumping, adding, “It’s a very dangerous and illegal activity. “We need people to be safe at the beach,” said Gartland, pointing out, “That means they have to act reasonably and within the law.” And that is not happening presently at the Arch.