Search is on for L.A. firefighter missing after dive off Long Beach shore
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- Four divers in their 20s headed out from Long Beach on Wednesday evening but only three returned, prompting a large-scale search for the missing person that continued Thursday morning, authorities confirmed.
- Long Beach and Los Angeles County fire department divers, along with personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, Long Beach Police and Los Angeles Port Police are conducting rescue efforts off Pier J, confirmed Long Beach Fire spokesperson Brian Fisk.
An off-duty Los Angeles firefighter is confirmed missing after a group of four men departed from Long Beach on Wednesday evening to go diving but only three returned, prompting a large multiagency search that continued into Thursday afternoon, authorities confirmed.
While Los Angeles Fire Department officials did not name the missing diver, they confirmed that the individual was from their ranks Thursday afternoon. All four men on the excursion were in their 20s, authorities said.
Divers from the Long Beach and L.A. city and county fire departments, along with personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, Long Beach Police and Los Angeles Port Police, are involved in search efforts off Pier J, confirmed Long Beach Fire spokesperson Brian Fisk.
One of the men was believed to be the driver of a small vessel while the other three were free diving, Fisk said.
Free diving involves a person holding their breath for as long as possible while diving and swimming without the use of equipment such as scuba gear.
Sea Story, a live-aboard used mainly for maritime activities, sent a distress signal after a large wave crashed into the boat, causing it to capsize.
Eventually, two men returned from free diving while a third did not, Fisk said.
The men called for emergency assistance at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday and Long Beach Fire responded with divers and marine assets at 10:17, Fisk said.
Long Beach Fire eventually asked Los Angeles County Fire for assistance, while other agencies also offered help.
“We presume that they were fishing but we don’t actually know what was the purpose of the trip,” Fisk said of the men. “We are continuing to look, however, and expanding the grid search area.”
When a sea lion is found stranded anywhere between Long Beach and Malibu, chances are the Marine Mammal Care Center will help with its rescue.
Fisk said conditions hampered the search efforts.
He said once the silty sea bottom is disturbed, the waters easily become murky.
Los Angeles Port Police are trying to combat that issue with use of a side scan sonar, which is specifically used for detecting objects on the seafloor, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Updates
12:44 p.m. Dec. 5, 2024: Los Angeles City firefighting authorities confirmed the missing man was an off-duty firefighter.
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