SAN DIEGO -- Crews rescued a man who became stuck on a cliff early Wednesday morning near the Glider Port at Torrey Pines, 10News reported.

The man's friends told 10News that they were stargazing near the Black's Beach area when he dropped out of sight from the cliff.

Wednesday's rescue was the seventh in the past 18 months in the area, authorities told 10News, and firefighters and San Diego lifeguards said these treacherous rescues could oftentimes be avoided.

"We constantly have people who don't use the best judgment. They go down trails they shouldn't, even though the signs are posted. They get themselves stranded, they can't go up, they can't go down; we have to go get them or they get hurt," said Maurice Luque, of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Emergency crews frequently respond to frantic phone calls, but those come at an expense, authorities said.

"If you calculated it out, it could be a few thousand dollars to several thousands of dollars depending on how many personnel, how many apparatus the copters used. If you calculated that, it would be quite substantial," said Luque.

It was two different incidents in February 2008 when five hikers at Torrey Pines got stuck on the same cliff from overnight. In both cases, a wrong turn stranded the explorers until they could be rescued by emergency crews.

Last July, a nearby cliff collapsed in an area known to be unstable. Rescue crews had to use thermal imaging to make sure no one was trapped.

One month later, a man visiting from Nevada was killed when boulders and dirt fell on him as he sat down below the cliff.

Weeks later, 100 tons of debris fell from the area known as Flat Rock, showing the volatility of the unstable areas which are frequented by sightseers and hikers alike.

SDFRD Battalion Chief David Pilkerton said this type of careless behavior endangers everyone involved.

"Hopefully we'll have a discussion with the individual and he realizes the hard work and the coordinated efforts of the rescue personnel," said Pilkerton.

Authorities hope it is a reminder for others to think twice before going over the barricades in the future.