A man was rescued near a San Francisco coastline after falling off a steep cliff and spending more than 12 hours out in the cold, according to an official from the San Francisco Fire Department.

The man, who was about 25 years old, climbed up a cliff alone sometime last night to watch the sunset, fell down and broke his ankle at Lands End, according to Division Chief Art Kenney.

The rescue proved to be a difficult one for fire crews.

"That cliff was straight up and down," Kenney said. "It was a pretty good hike to get there."

The victim did not have a cell phone and called out for help.

Hikers on a nearby trail heard his cries.

Firefighters responded at 7:55 a.m., Kenney said.

Crews struggled with how to carry out the rescue, Kenney said, and initially considered lowering the basket down to the "loopy" victim.

Kenney said the man was frightened and firefighters took to the water to rescue him.

Firefighters used a Jet Ski to transport the man to a rescue boat, Kenney said.

"It turned out to be the best method," Kenney said.

During the rescue, a firefighter lost his footing.

"One of the rocks gave way and he twisted his ankle," Kenney said.

"It was still pretty wet and muddy," he said.

The victim, who spoke with a foreign accent, also suffered from hypothermia.

He was rescued by 9:30 a.m. and transported to a hospital.

"I sure wouldn't want to spend the night out there," Kenney said.