By Andrew J. Campa
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — An off-duty Los Angeles City 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 LAFD officials did not provide an identity for the missing diver, they confirmed the individual was from their ranks Thursday afternoon. All four men on the excursion were in their 20s, authorities said.
Long Beach, L.A. City and L.A. 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.
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.
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.”
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.
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