SAN DIEGO – The search for a possible missing swimmer in Oceanside, Calif., was suspended at 8:03 Monday evening after saturating the search area and exhausting all possible efforts to locate a man who was reported to be in distress Sunday evening.
The Coast Guard and local agencies spent the past 24 hours searching for the possible swimmer in distress near the Oceanside Pier, and covered 16 miles of shoreline and up to nine miles out to sea.
The Oceanside Harbor Police were first notified by an eye-witness on the beach who said she saw a man in a wet suit who seemed to be in need of help while in the water near the Oceanside Pier. The Harbor Police then contacted the Coast Guard to who joined in the search.
Assets used in the search include:
• A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Sector San Diego,
• Coast Guard Cutter Blackfin, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Santa Barbara,
• A Customs and Border Protection helicopter
• Oceanside Harbor Police patrol boats
• Oceanside Lifeguards
• Oceanside Fire Department
If anyone knows of a friend or family member who was planning on taking a swim in the vicinity of the Oceanside Pier this evening and he has not returned, please call the U.S. Coast Guard at 619.278.7031.
