Update: The teen has been identified by Crawford High School staff as 2022 graduate Woodlain Zachee-Prudhome. Read more here.
A recovery effort was underway Wednesday morning to find an 18-year-old swimmer who was pulled under the water the day before in Mission Beach.
Crews were able to rescue two struggling teen swimmers Tuesday afternoon, but the third “submerged and did not surface,” San Diego Lifeguards said. After more than an hour of searching, the rescue effort became a recovery effort.
The rescue started when a lifeguard noticed three swimmers in distress near Jersey Court at the beach between towers 16 and 17 around 3:30 p.m. and alerted other lifeguards in the area. Lifeguards rescued two teens, then called for more agencies to assist.
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San Diego Fire-Rescue Department's helicopter and other lifeguards joined in the rescue efforts, using personal watercraft, rescue boats, surfboards and lifeguards swimming in the water.
After 75 minutes of searching, the response team switched over to a recovery effort for the submerged teenage boy, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
The U.S. Coast Guard and lifeguards used side sonar inside the water and in the air to search for the missing boy until the sun went down, authorities said.
"Sundown ends the efforts tonight. Lifeguards will regroup in the morning," SDFD wrote on Twitter.
Local
Crews remained on scene overnight and the recovery effort resumed at sun-up Wednesday morning.
it was not immediately clear what caused the swimmers to become in distress.
NBC 7 Meteorologist Sheena Parveen said there was a high risk of rip currents in the area at the time and waves were about 3 to 5 feet, but it was not immediately clear if weather conditions caused the swimmers to become in distress. There were no marine hazard watches or warnings in effect Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service San Diego.
