Coast Guard calls off search for two boaters missing off Palos Verdes

With dangerous surf and high winds roiling Southern California’s coast, authorities suspended their search for two men whose capsized boat washed ashore along the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

The men went fishing aboard a small boat on Monday afternoon, launching from San Pedro, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson.

At the time, weather forecasters had issued a small craft advisory, warning boaters in Los Angeles County that there could be waves up to 10 feet high.

When the men didn’t return, they were reported missing around 5 a.m. Tuesday.

About a half-hour later, their overturned boat was discovered by passersby along a stretch of rocky shoreline in Palos Verdes Estates, the Coast Guard spokesperson said. The men, however, were not aboard.

The Coast Guard and several law enforcement agencies scoured the choppy waters with rescue boats, drones and helicopters but still had not found the men by Wednesday afternoon.

After more than 30 hours without receiving a distress call, the Coast Guard announced it had paused the search.

The boaters’ disappearance came during a week when massive waves damaged the historic Santa Cruz Wharf and a man died after being trapped by debris in high surf at Monterey Bay.

Meteorologists said that in Los Angeles and Orange counties, waves would crest at 5 to 10 feet on Christmas Day. Waves of up to 15 feet were anticipated to last through the week farther north in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.