I'm pretty sure he's violating some laws to do this and doesn't want to be easily identified.

I think his biggest concern is being arrested for trespassing on some rich asshole's property to do this because cops will put a lot of time and effort into punishing someone for inconveniencing a rich asshole.

Yeah, the trespassed-upon property owner is the asshole here.

i am probably in the minority here in that i don't consider him a colossal idiot just for cliff jumping.

what i stand in judgement of is his obvious lack of preparation (worst spot to jump from, clearly very little recon done) and hiding his identity. if caught in flagrante, he'd still have to deal with a felony trespass, which, in southern california, can usually be pled down to a misdemeanor disturbing the peace, as long as you weren't burglarizing something or otherwise showing larcenous intent. so wearing the bandito mask is pointless. there isn't a larger penalty for being charged via subpoena of evidence (the footage). this is assuming he uploaded the footage using samizdat rules (basic counterespionage for disseminating any sensitive information) and not just to his Google+ account.

i mean to be fair maybe i have more experience committing low-level felonies, and the resultant risk management that's necessary, than this guy has. but any sort of close call i have had has really reinforced in me the "plan, recon, plan, dry run, plan, recon, execute" mentality, as well as a pretty clear knowledge of local laws. maybe he hasn't been cliff diving a lot/for very long, or in southern california? but so then why would a novice even film this?

this is why i speculated about cliff jumping as an addiction for him- this footage shows risky, impulsive behavior, undertaken with a pretty striking lack of planning, a complete ignorance of real consequences and a focus on exposures and consequences that basically don't exist. all of that is addict behavior.

your point about the cops being rich folks' lapdogs is well taken, however.

Teener,

Look where he built his house. He's clearly an asshole.

If he likes to live dangerously, he should have worn a t-shirt saying 'arrest me!' with his name and home address on it.