Wharf jumping can get you into hot water with the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol

They want everyone to have a fun summer at the Santa Barbara waterfront, but when it comes to jumping off of Stearns Wharf it is a thriller move that is strongly discouraged.

It is also against a local ordinance.

“People want to do it in the summertime. It is warm, they want to jump off with friends,” said Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol Officer Rick Hubbard.

In some cases there could be dangers below. “You can have someone kayaking under the wharf and it looks clear when you are about to jump and when you hit, a kayak can come out,” said Hubbard. “There is debris from some of the older wooden piles, we have out here and some of the areas can be really shallow.”

At low tide, “If you hit just right you can hit the bottom and get injured,” he said.

Signs are posted warning against jumping.

The Harbor Patrol says it wants compliance instead of heavy enforcement unless someone just won’t obey. “It is usually a warning. Warning and education is what we like to do. A lot of people don’t know about it,” said Hubbard. At Deep Sea wine tasting, on the eastern side of the wharf, owner Gillian Conway said, ” I don’t want them to do it because I don’t want them to get hurt.”

Sometimes her second story tasting room site with spectacular ocean views is a launching point when she isn’t looking.
“They run up the stairs, they jump on my tables whether there are guests there or not, wine glasses go flying and they are overboard and it is too late for me to get them,” she said. The wine lovers really don’t come for the diving show. “If they do it multiple times and my mean face isn’t working then I have to call it in,” said Conway. Up until last year the end of the wharf did not have any railing but now that it is installed it is a deterrent to keep people from jumping over the side. It is also a safety feature in an area where people could have fallen.

On the three foot rail, “it could be slippery and you could slip and hit the deck before you even get into the water,” said Hubbard. There are ladders for the swimmers to get back to and get out of the water but if you get a cramp or have a medical condition it could be a terrible turn of events. “With currents we don’t have ladders all over. They are only in certain spots. If you get away from that and you are not a strong swimmer then you can get into some trouble.”

Some of the wharf regulars say they have seen divers from the electrical boxes and building rooftops.