Search called off for Southern California teen swept away by rip current

The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search for a teenage swimmer who went missing off Huntington Beach at around 9 p.m. Sunday.

Huntington Beach Lifeguards reported a 15-year-old boy disappeared while swimming with friends near Lifeguard Tower 11, south of Huntington Beach Pier.

The Coast Guard dispatched a small boat crew from Station Los Angeles-Long Beach, an Air Station San Diego Jayhawk helicopter crew, and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Blackfin to search the area alongside partner agencies.

The search continued overnight and through Monday until efforts were suspended at around 8 p.m.

“The decision to suspend an active search is never easy and is only made after exhaustive efforts to find the missing person,” Capt. Stacey Crecy, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, said in a statement. “Our hearts ache for his family and friends.”

According to the Coast Guard, waves were approximately three to five feet high with strong rip currents throughout the day Sunday.

This famous California beach is more dangerous than people realize

“Strong rip currents can be dangerous, even for the strongest swimmers,” the Coast Guard said. A rip current is a fast-moving channel of water extending from near the beach out past the line of breaking waves.

Beachgoers should avoid swimming where rip currents are present and should swim at beaches with lifeguards, the Coast Guard said.

If caught in a rip current, swimmers should keep calm and avoid struggling against the current, instead swimming parallel to the shore.

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