Climber at beach rescued in early morning fall

A 29-year-old man was rescued after he fell while climbing a bluff in Sea Ranch, an unincorporated community in Sonoma County, early this morning, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s Henry-1 helicopter crew responded to Sea Ranch around 3:10 a.m. on a report of a man who fell from a bluff, sheriff’s Sgt. Pete Quartarolo said.

The helicopter crew arrived shortly after 4 a.m. and located the man below a bluff on a beach, where by emergency crews were aiding him, according to Quartarolo.

The man’s injuries were stabilized and he was placed on a rescue basket, Quartarolo said.

The helicopter’s pilot landed the craft on top of the bluff and the crew conducted a long-line rescue, the sergeant said. The pilot then flew a sheriff’s sergeant to the end of the line where the man was, according to Quartarolo.

The rescue basket was attached to the end of the line and the pilot flew the patient and crew to the top of the bluff, he said.

The man was then placed on a REACH air medical services helicopter and airlifted to a hospital, Quartarolo said.