South swell from Tropical Storm Iselle made conditions treacherous at Crescent Bay. Photo: Caleb Bennetts//Unsplash
A 41-year-old man who was bodysurfing at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach on Wednesday, August 26, has been pronounced dead after a rescue operation. Southern California is currently experiencing high surf from Tropical Storm Iselle.
In a press release, the City of Laguna Beach said the rescue occurred around 4:20 p.m.
The victim “was carried to shore by lifeguards, and Marine Safety and Fire Department staff performed CPR on scene before he was transported to Mission Hospital Laguna Beach via ground ambulance,” the statement reads. “His name and information are being withheld at this time.”
Witnesses told CBS LA, that they saw the man struggling in the water and jumped in to rescue him along with lifeguards. The man was reportedly unconscious and in cardiac arrest when lifeguards pulled him onto the shore. CBS also reported that a second man was rescued along with the victim, but he survived.
Laguna Beach lifeguards displayed red flags on their towers to warn inexperienced swimmers to stay out of the water.
The tragedy comes amid a summer of heavy surf that took multiple lives in Laguna Beach. In June, waves swept nine-year-old Amada Mia Brown out to sea near Treasure Island Beach, and earlier this month, a 24-year-old man drowned, also at Crescent Bay.
