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BajaNomad
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Via email: Friend's son fell from cliff near Rosarito Beach and disappeared into the ocean.
In the email inbox from BN user mexicoradar:
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Hi. I'm helping a pal whose son Scott Fippinger was surf/camping at Chuie's near Km. 52 (by Splash) when he fell from the cliff at high tide. Hoping
that Nomads will be on the lookout... I feel compelled to mention in advance that no drugs or alcohol were involved. Just a horrible tragedy.
Gracias, y'all... Here's the info... Any info, contact any of the delegaciones, or mexicoradar@gmail.com:
American Surfer Falls from Cliff and Disappears south of Rosarito Beach.
Man falls 45 feet to the beach during high tide.
(Rosarito, Baja California Norte) -- A 20-year-old American surfer stepped out from his tent in the early morning hours of this past Wednesday and
fell from the cliff at Campo Chuie's near Km. 52. His disappearance was not discovered until the man's friends awoke after sunrise to find him
missing.
On the night of January 13th, Scott Robert Fippinger of San Diego had been camped cliff-side with three friends in two tents when it is presumed that
he woke to urinate. His friends report hearing Fippinger leave the tent, and noted seeing the light of his cellphone around 3:00 a.m.
A woman camped at a neighboring site reported hearing no sounds beyond the strong winds that made her trailer sway throughout the night. The high
tide peaked at 3:38 that morning, with waves reaching up the base of the cliff.
Around 7:00 that morning, Fippinger's broken cell phone was found by his friends on the concrete slab between the tent and the cliff's edge. Impact
marks could be seen on the dirt of the cliff's face. The high tide had receded. No marks or evidence could be found on the sandy beach below.
Fippinger's mother and father crossed the border that same day to begin the search for their missing son. They remain in the area, raising awareness
of the disappearance, and hoping desperately that their son is found.
Units from the Mexican Naval base in Ensenada were called to help with the search, as have lifeguards from the Salvavidas division of the Bomberos de
Rosarito. Both organizations are making daily sweeps along the 6 kilometer stretch of coastline between El Campito and Campo Lopez.
In similar past cases from the local area, drowning victims have resurfaced five to seven days after disappearing. With the recent ocean conditions
it is predicted that during the next two weeks, the prevailing sea current will push Fippinger toward the area of coastline between the community at
Medio Camino and the port of La Salina.
Local fisherman and coastal residents are asked to be on the lookout for the re-appearance of the victim on the surface, and for unusual seabird
activity along the shore. "My wife and I only have two sets of eyes," said Eric Fippinger, the missing man's father. "We really need our friends in
Baja to help us find our son."
The site of Scott Fippinger's disappearance, Chuie's Surf Camp, is located just south of El Campito, near the popular American restaurant Splash.
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[Edited on 1-18-2015 by BajaNomad]
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
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woody with a view
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Sad. never knew there was a surf camp (or surf spot) near splash. and where are there 45' cliffs near splash? the area at k55 is pretty high cliffs so
i guess as you head north 3 kms there could be high cliffs as well?
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elgatoloco
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Quote: Originally posted by woody with a view  | Sad. never knew there was a surf camp (or surf spot) near splash. and where are there 45' cliffs near splash? the area at k55 is pretty high cliffs so
i guess as you head north 3 kms there could be high cliffs as well?
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Chuies is just north of parking lot at Medio Camino. Small strip of land on bluff. Cliffs there are pretty high.
Bummer. 
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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Whale-ista
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thank you for the post-
I sent the Information to a friend in San Miguel, asking him to share and to be on the lookout. Realize it's a long way south, but asked him to spread
the word to others along the coast.
(We lost a friend in a similar way many years ago- a father, he drowned while swimming with his children off the large beach south of La Mision. His
body was recovered many miles south.)
If he has indeed drowned, I hope his family can recover his remains.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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BajaBlanca
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So sad .....
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Maron
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Thoughts to the family
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mexicoradar
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?Me ha visto?
Have you seen me?
Scott Robert Fippinger
Age/Edad: 20
Male/Masculino
Race/Raza: White/Blanco
Ht/Alt: 6' / 184 cm
Wt /Peso: 160 lbs / 70 kg
Hair/Cabello: Brown / Cafe
Visto ultimamente a las 3 de la manana del dia 14 de enero saliendo de su casa de campana por Km 52. Creemos que cayo del acantilado hasta el mar.
El vino a surfear con unos amigos. Ahora la familia lo busca por todas las playas alrededor del Km 52.
Last seen at 3:00 a.m. on the 14th of January leaving his tent at a campsite near Km 52. It is believed that he fell from the cliff into the sea. He
came here to surf with some friends. The family is now searching for him along the coastline near Km 52.
Si usted tiene aguna informacion, por favor contacte a la delegacion local, o al telefono 619-259-0759 (en los EUA), o por correo electronico
(e-mail): MexicoRadar@gmail.com
If you have any information, please contact the local municipal police in Mexico, or call 619-259-0759 (in the U.S.), or send an e-mail to
MexicoRadar@gmail.com.
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BajaNomad
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http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/American-Surfer-Falls-...
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
Affordable Domain Name Registration/Management & cPanel Web Hosting:
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mexicoradar
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Thank you all for your kind words. I posted the flyer info above. Scott's keys appear to have gone missing with him. His wallet, money, vehicle,
and broken cell phone were all left behind, but the keys are gone. The family was told by police that there is a chance that Scott decided to "run
off with a girl." I know that we've all heard similar type stories when making complaints down here. The high tide washed away all evidence on the
beach (the broken cell phone was found on the concrete site slab at the top of the cliff's edge). We tried to rake the beach yesterday to find the
keys but to no avail. I know that there are many beachcombers down here. I'm guessing that maybe somebody has a metal detector. Yesterday we
distributed ten American and Mexican coins on the sand at different intervals from the cliff. Not to create any wild goose chases, but we would love
it if there might be somebody local who beachcombs with a metal detector that could visit the beach at low tide and find the coins (and maybe the
keys!) and report back the following info:
A) The denomination of the coins found
B) The mint date of the coin
C) The approximate distance from the cliff's edge
D) The depth in the sand at which the coins were found.
E) The date and time of the find.
The cliff-side campsite where Scott was camped is at Chuie's (just south of Km. 52) and is marked now by yellow CAUTION tape. The coordinates (to be
exact) are N 32.17741, W 116.90744.
I know that this sounds trivial. And maybe it is. Nothing feels trivial right now. And finding the keys would go a long way toward getting rid of
the pesky 2% doubts... It's all just sad. The next few days are said to be the most important ones because, given Scott's size and the water
temperature, it is expected that he will float to the surface and begin to make his way south. We have many fishermen on the lookout. Thanks for
reading this. And for any help and vigilance that you might extend. Please feel free to share any info here, or via the mexicoradar@gmail.com
address... With appreciation from all of us...
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CaboMagic
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Oh my .. thinking good thoughts for you .. and saying prayers ...
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JZ
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Well, it would be unlikely to sleep with your keys.
I guess he could have walked to the vehicle first to get something.
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willardguy
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hopefully he's not past the natural arch that juts out between medio camino and puerta del mar, south of that is high bluffs and rugged shoreline
(plaza del mar area) and mostly inaccessible but its a good time to take
advantage of these super low tides.
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woody with a view
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huge surf this weekend might produce a body. I know that sounds crude.
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micah202
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...very sad to hear of this....may all end well!
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mexicoradar
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| Quote: Originally posted by willardguy | | hopefully he's not past the natural arch that juts out between medio camino and puerta del mar, south of that is high bluffs and rugged shoreline
(plaza del mar area) and mostly inaccessible but its a good time to take
advantage of these super low tides. |
It's really sad, but we're hoping that the Mexican fishermen who are helping us are correct in their prediction that Scott will reappear in the next
couple of days on the surface between Km. 52 and Campo Lopez a couple of miles south. Again, thanks for your kind wishes...
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willardguy
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I walked the area between puerta del mar and medio camino today, a king tide and monster surf thats due to get even bigger the next couple days, this
is a gnarly piece of coastline! there are a few fisherman down there who must know the landowner (its gated) so thats a plus!
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mexicoradar
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Thanks, willardguy. We appreciate your eyeballs. Today we'll have a plane overhead and boats in the water. More SAR divers will be here for the
next few days, too. We appreciate everybody's vigilance and good wishes. Thank you all...
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BooJumMan
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Street view of Chuies...
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.177406,-116.906862,3a,75y,24...
As Woody mentioned, I have never heard of anyone actually surfing there before... Driven by countless times and never thought twice to stay there. Sad
to hear.
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woody with a view
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just goes to show that there are still secrets out there!
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mexicoradar
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Sorry for the quickness of this note but I'm typing by phone and trying to hurry. Yesterday we found Scott's body in the kelp off Campo Lopez two
miles south of the accident site. It was sad, but necessary for the closure that the discovery helps provide. I'll try to post a better thank you to
all of you next week. For now we are mired in paperwork in Rosarito. Just wanted Nomads to be aware that the search is over. Again, thanks for your
kind words and support.
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