Search suspended for 15-year-old swimmer who went missing off Huntington Beach

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing teenage swimmer off Huntington Beach on Monday night.

The 15-year-old male was reported missing around 9 p.m. Sunday after he went swimming with friends near lifeguard Tower 11, south of Huntington Beach Pier, and didn’t return, according to a Coast Guard news release.

A Coast Guard response boat from Station Los Angeles-Long Beach, a Jayhawk helicopter and the Coast Guard cutter Blackfin and their crews searched the area.

Rescuers stand ready on shore during the search for a missing teenage swimmer off Huntington Beach.

(OnScene.TV)

They worked through Sunday night into Monday, until the search was suspended around 8 p.m. The teen’s identity hasn’t been released.

“The decision to suspend an active search is never easy and is only made after exhaustive efforts to find the missing person,” Capt. Stacey Crecy, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, said in the release. “Our hearts ache for his family and friends.”

Huntington Beach Lifeguards, the Orange County Fire Authority, the Huntington Beach Fire Department and Huntington Beach Police Department assisted in the search, which lasted for nearly 20 hours and spanned 105 square miles.

Strong rip currents and waves of 3 to 5 feet were reported in the area through Sunday, officials said. The Coast Guard has warned swimmers to be careful entering the water, especially when strong rip currents or waves are present.