Three surfers, including a 17-year-old San Rafael teen, paddled into the water near Fort Point Tuesday to help a person who had gone over the Golden Gate Bridge, keeping him afloat until a Coast Guard rescue boat arrived.
A dramatic rescue unfolded near the Golden Gate Bridge Tuesday afternoon after a man jumped into the water, as ABC 7 reports. Seventeen-year-old Colby Ralls told the outlet he was surfing with two others when they heard people on the bridge shouting.
They all watched as someone near the railing went over, prompting the three surfers to immediately paddle toward him. Ralls said the person was still calling for help as they approached.
According to ABC 7 , the surfers reached the man, whom they estimated to be in his 20s, and worked to keep him above water. They used a surfboard to support him while trying to keep him calm and conscious until emergency responders could reach them.
Ralls said the man had a pulse and was breathing when they got to him.
Within minutes, a US Coast Guard rescue boat arrived and took over. The man was transferred to an ambulance in stable condition, according to the Coast Guard.
"There should be easier ways to get help for people like that, you know," Ralls told ABC 7. "I just really hope he's okay."
Coast Guard Lt. John Thompson, who was part of the watch team that day, credited the surfers with buying the man critical time.
"Those surfers being there, being able to pull the person onto a surfboard, provided those vital seconds in order to be able to save the person," Thompson said, speaking to ABC 7.
The rescue took place near Fort Point, beneath the bridge's south tower, where the surf conditions can make an already difficult rescue even more challenging. Surfer magazine describes the spot as an unusually “fickle” break that’s generated by powerful northwest swells, with waves moving over a rocky bottom amid strong tidal currents and passing cargo ships.
The incident comes as the Golden Gate Bridge's suicide barrier has substantially reduced the number of deaths and reported attempts at the landmark, though it was never expected to prevent every incident.
As SFist reported in January, the horizontal barriers installed beneath the bridge in 2024 have been credited with a dramatic reduction in deaths. The bridge recorded 30 deaths annually on average before the installation, compared with four in all of 2025. All four occurred during the first six months of the year, with no deaths recorded in the second half.
The New York Times reported at the time that the second half of 2025 may have been the longest period without a suicide at the bridge, although historical records from earlier decades are incomplete.
There were also 94 aborted attempts in 2025, roughly half the annual average. Those incidents typically involve interventions by law enforcement officers, passersby, and others who manage to talk someone out of going over the railing. The lower number of attempts suggests the barriers may also be discouraging people from approaching the edge in the first place.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In the Bay Area, you can also text BAY to 741741 for free, confidential crisis support through Crisis Text Line, or call San Francisco Suicide Prevention at 415-781-0500.
