Four men in their 20s left Long Beach Wednesday evening, but only three returned, sparking a massive multi-agency search for the missing person that continued Thursday morning, authorities confirmed.
Divers from the Long Beach and Los Angeles County fire departments, along with personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, Long Beach Police and Los Angeles Port Police, conduct rescue efforts off the pier J, confirmed Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Brian Fisk.
One of the men was believed to be the driver of a small boat while the other three were freediving, Fisk said.
Freediving involves a person holding their breath for as long as possible while diving and swimming without using equipment, such as scuba gear.
Ultimately, two men returned from free diving while a third did not return, Fisk said.
The men called for emergency help at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday and the Long Beach Fire Department responded with divers and marine resources at 10:17 a.m., Fisk said.
Rescue teams are mobilizing and continuing their search for a missing freediver near Pier J in Long Beach.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Long Beach Fire ultimately requested assistance from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, while other agencies also offered assistance.
“We presume they were fishing but we don’t actually know what the purpose of the trip was,” Fisk said of the men. “We are, however, continuing to search and expand the search area of the grid.”
Fisk said the conditions were hampering search efforts.
He added that once the silty bottom of the sea is disturbed, the waters easily become turbid.
The Los Angeles Port Police is trying to combat this problem by using side-scan sonar, specifically used to detect objects on the seabed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
