Competitive Swimmers Rescue Cliff Diver Injured At Beale Falls

NEVADA COUNTY (CBS13) — A cliff diver was rescued Wednesday afternoon after he was knocked unconscious at Beale Falls.

According to Cal Fire, the victim jumped from approximately 70 feet above the water and was knocked unconscious upon impact with the water.

Fortunately, a group of competitive swimmers from the Bay Area witnessed the whole thing and swam over to rescue the victim.

"It was about three minutes he was face down in the water," Jacklyn Scheberies, one of the hero swimmers, said.

Scheberies is a sophomore at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas and is on the Rebels swim team. Friends Lauren Francis, Malia Henry and Sarah Livingston swam with Scheberies at Castro Valley High School and on a summer swimming team.

"Something is so wrong and we need to fix it. There was no thought process. It was just happening. So much adrenaline. It was just a go for it moment. Mind completely blank," Francis, another hero swimmer who just graduated from Castro Valley, said.

The swimmers were able to get him to the shore and waited until rescuers arrived.

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"Lauren was looking underwater while I was looking above the water. And I found his body laying face down in the water by the rocks," Scheberies said. "So I grabbed him and I pulled him on his back and then all four of us pulled him in."

The group said the daredevil told them that he and his friends were about to enter their senior year of high school.

"It was hard to believe what was happening but I'm glad we were there at that time to be able to help him," Livingston, a hero swimmer, said.

Aside from their great swimming skills, Henry used her other training to help give aid to the injured teen until emergency crews arrived.

"I've done a lot of training with this because I'm a lifeguard," Henry, one of the hero swimmers, said. "I was ready to use my skills and put everything into action."

CAL FIRE Smartsville Station responded with Penn Valley Fire, Sierra Nevada Ambulance, CHP, CALSTAR, and The Department of Fish and Wildlife. The victim was transported via CALSTAR air ambulance to a trauma center.

"I was so happy that he was okay and he was responsive. We like potentially saved his life from drowning," Scheberies said.

"None of us think it was a coincidence. There was a purpose to that," Francis said.