A man has died after drowning at Black's Beach in La Jolla, officials confirmed.
The drowning happened at 1:52 p.m. Saturday on the 9600 block of La Jolla Farms Road, at Blacks Beach, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) and San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officials said.
Officials first responded to a report of someone drowning in the water, but the call was soon upgraded to a rescue, SDFD officials said.
The man was taken out of the water and later pronounced dead.
He was identified as 51-year-old Luisito Rivera.
Marine Safety Lt. Rich Stropky said lifeguards immediately began CPR, and then met up with paramedics who also tried but failed to bring the man back to life.
Rivera got caught in a rip current, lifeguards said.
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“We got in the water and the surf was really high and then you could feel some really strong rip currents,” Blacks Beach visitor Jason Partney said. “So I can see how someone could have trouble.”
“If you are not a swimmer, The ocean can be relentless. It’s powerful and people always need to respect that,” Lt. Rich Stropky of San Diego Fire and Rescue explained.
The news comes as San Diegans head into potentially one of the hottest weekends of the year so far, as high pressure continues to build and temperatures soar, starting Saturday.
Earlier this week, ahead of the heat wave, San Diego beaches saw high surf and rip currents; they lingered through Friday.
