The U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday night that it has suspended the search operation for a teenage swimmer who disappeared Sunday night while swimming off the coast of Huntington Beach in Orange County.
Search efforts were suspended around 8:00 p.m.about 24 hours after the teen was first reported missing.
“The decision to suspend an active search is never easy and It is only taken after exhaustive efforts to find the missing person.“We are heartbroken for his family and friends,” said Capt. Stacey Crecy, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach.
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The teenager described as a 15-year-old boy, He was not seen again after entering the water on Sunday night..
According to authorities, The young man had gone swimming with a friend near lifeguard tower 11south of the Huntington Beach Pier, but did not return to shore.
The Coast Guard sent a crew of a small boat from the Los Angeles-Long Beach Stationa Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station San Diego and the crew of the Cutter Blackfin to search the area along with other partner agencies.
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“We have been actively searching since 9:00 pm last night (Sunday). Currently, we are searching from the Huntington Beach Pier to the Santa Ana River.“said Frank Lower, a member of the United States Coast Guard, on Monday.
According to witness accounts, the tide rose rapidly and The waves grew bigger as the two young men found themselves in the water.and one of them was swept away by the current.
Some of the young man’s friends, such as Love Che-Howell, found out about the situation the teenager was in and They quickly ran to the beach to try to help..
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“It’s very painful because he was one of my best friends. We got here and started looking for him on the beach and we saw that there were a lot of cars everywhere. There were helicopters. The whole ocean was lit up.“There were lights shining everywhere,” Che-Howell said.
Another of the missing youth’s friends, Brooke Gramata, stated that The teenager knew how to swim very well.
“I spent some time with him in a swimming class. He is a good swimmer, but I heard that the currents were very, very strong.“, Gramata said.
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According to the Coast Guard, The waves were between three and five feet high with strong rip currents throughout the Sunday.
“Strong rip currents can be dangerous, even for the strongest swimmers“the Coast Guard said.
A rip current is a channel of fast-moving water extending from near the beach to beyond the line where the waves break.
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In case you get caught in a rip current, Swimmers should remain calm and avoid fighting the current.but swim parallel to the shore.
For privacy reasons, the identity of the 15-year-old has not been revealed.His classmates remain hopeful that he will be found safely.
Before calling off the search, The Coast Guard was working with local authoritiessuch as the Orange County Fire Authority and the Huntington Beach Police Department.
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