Diver, 27, Disappears in Waters Off Long Beach

A 27-year-old scuba diver who vanished Saturday morning after becoming ill while in the ocean off Long Beach was presumed dead, but a search for his body continued throughout the day, authorities said.

The diver’s name was not released by authorities.

The man was with two other divers 12 1/2 miles from Huntington Harbour when he got into trouble about 9:30 a.m., said Rick Pillsbury, a spokesman for the Long Beach Fire Department.

The diver was in about 40 feet of water near an oil platform, Island Eureka, when he motioned to his partners that he wasn’t feeling well and was going to surface, said Pillsbury.

His dive partners and people on the oil platform said they saw the man surface. “He popped up and his faceplate was gone,� said Pillsbury. “And his diving regulator wasn’t in his mouth.�

He was on the surface briefly before he started to sink and was pulled away by the currents, witnesses told authorities.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Long Beach Fire Department and Los Angeles County and Huntington Beach lifeguards were involved in the search, which included boat crews and helicopters, Pillsbury said.

The three divers were aboard the Pacific Dream, which left Peter’s Landing in Huntington Harbour early Saturday morning. Pillsbury said the search had turned into a body recovery mission by the end of the day.

“Once he slipped below the surface, he only had a limited amount of air left,� said Pillsbury.