Emergency service personnel continue to search the Santa Monica coast for a swimmer who went missing after signaling for help yesterday.
According to Los Angeles County Lifeguard spokesman Pono Barnes a swimmer was about 110-120 yards offshore when they began waving their arms and asking for help at about 11:02 a.m. on Tuesday. A lifeguard saw the swimmer between Towers 9 and 10 near the California Incline and immediately swam out, but the swimmer went below the water before they arrived.
Dive teams were mobilized including three rescue boats, helicopter support and additional resources from the Santa Monica Harbor Patrol, Fire Department and Police Department. High winds and rough sees forced lifeguards to suspend the dive portion of the search at about 3 p.m. on Tuesday. A Marine Technical Search Team continued to scan the ocean floor with specialized sonar equipment and the search efforts began again Wednesday morning.
Barnes said resources from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department were in the water aiding the search and Coast Guard teams were also part of the effort. Barnes said there were no boats in the area when the swimmer went missing and there was no information about how the swimmer got into trouble. According to the Santa Monica Police Department no-one has been reported missing since the swimmer disappeared and officers have no information regarding their identity.
