The Risky Rock : Ventura County Attraction Can Provide a Deadly View

Mugu Rock, Ventura County’s popular--and dangerous--coastal site for fishing, rock climbing and romance, will keep claiming victims as long as people are lured by its beauty and challenges, authorities say.

“Short of completely fencing it off, as long as people continue to climb up Mugu Rock, people are going to continue to fall off Mugu Rock,” said Craig Stevens, county deputy coroner. “You’re certainly not going to move it.”

William Archuleta, 33, of La Puente was the latest casualty at Mugu Rock, which sits at the edge of Pacific Coast Highway about 10 miles north of the Los Angeles County line.

Archuleta fell into the ocean Sunday while drinking wine with his girlfriend on a concrete slab that juts out from the rock, said sheriff’s Deputy David Williams. Pulled from the water by witnesses, he was treated for head injuries at St. John’s Regional Hospital and released on Monday.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Aviation-Search and Rescue Unit answers six to eight rescue calls a year at Mugu Rock, said Lt. Arve Wells. Half of them are alcohol-related, he said.

“It’s fairly scenic,” Wells said. “Usually there’s a pretty good swell that comes in. It’s easily accessible and, according to some of our reports, the fishing is fairly good.”

But there are risks. Rock climbers lose their footing, fisherman are swept away by pounding waves, and drinkers sometimes lose their balance in spots where a misstep can be fatal.

As sheriff’s Lt. Gary Backman pointed out, law enforcement agencies cannot take away people’s rights to take risks, even if it costs taxpayers money to rescue the thrill-seekers.

“It may or not be fair, but that’s the way it is,” Backman said.

A rusty chain-link fence, trampled by sightseers, is all that warns visitors of the area’s dangers. Since 1986, six people have drowned and numerous others have been injured in accidents while climbing or fishing at Mugu Rock, officials said.

Inside the gate, concrete slabs jut over jagged rocks and the pounding surf, drawing photographers and others like Archuleta, who drink alcohol while enjoying the view. Shards of broken beer bottles litter the ground, and gang members have left their spray-painted signatures on the large rocks nearby.

“It’s peaceful around here,” said 33-year-old Tony Theiss of Santa Monica, who was visiting the spot with two friends Monday. “I just kind of like it.”

Theiss was aware of the dangers. “I stay (on) this side of the fence,” he said, gesturing toward the rusty metal that lay flat on the ground. “Use common sense, and I think you’d be all right.”

The spot also lures athletes such as Mitchel Adler, 23, of Los Angeles, who has climbed the 200-foot face of Mugu Rock. In May, another climber from Camarillo slipped and fell 40 feet, suffering head injuries.

Many other climbers, including members of the Ventura County Fire Department, practice their skills on two smaller rocks just south of Mugu Rock.

“It’s an amazing sport, but you have to be careful,” said Adler. Ross Miller, a county Fire Department engineer, speculated that many people come to Mugu Rock to let loose.

“It’s just one of those areas where people have been drinking and feel like acting crazy,” Miller said. “They can just go down there and do what they want.”