The search is on for a 28-year-old lobster diver who went missing Wednesday night while freediving in Long Beach with two other men, authorities said Thursday.
According to the Long Beach Fire Department, he disappeared while in the water with the other divers near the Pier J fishing pier. The two other men returned to a boat they had all been on and realized he was gone. They reported him missing at 9:55 p.m., fire officials said. Nineteen divers from seven different local law enforcement agencies had joined the search by 7 a.m. the next morning.
While the diver was wearing a mask, he did not have a tank because he was freediving in a part of the ocean that is about 30 to 40 feet deep, said Brian Fisk, a spokesman for the Long Beach Fire Department.
Freediving requires divers to hold their breath for long periods of time as they enter deep ocean water, facing challenges not only from prolonged breath-holding but also from the resistance of water pressure, which increases the deeper the water is. Such challenges can lead to medical complications and in some cases loss of consciousness or even death, according to a study by water sports researchers at the University School of Physical Education in Krakow, Poland.
Fisk said the salty conditions make it difficult to see underwater in the area where the diver went missing.
Agencies involved in the search efforts include the Los Angeles County Fire Department, LA Fire Department, Port of Long Beach Police Department, Long Beach Police Department Dive Team, Long Beach Fire Department, lifeguards of Long Beach and the divers of the Port of LA.
