SANTA MONICA—On September 8, after midnight, the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACOFD) Lifeguard Division responded to a call for a search and rescue in the 1500 block of Ocean Walk. The search was for a male swimmer who reportedly vanished overnight while swimming at Venice Beach.
The man was seen entering the water and never returned from initial reports. First responders from LACOFD were able to rescue the unidentified male swimmer located on the rocks near the Venice breakwater at approximately 1 a.m.
Video captured the swimmer on scene alive. LACOFD officials helped him onto a gurney, where he was transported to an area hospital for minor injuries. No additional details are available.
According to reports, LACOFD lifeguards performed close to 2,000 ocean water rescues; 1,950 of those were recorded during what the Los Angeles Fire Department refers to as a “Peak Surge,” during times of high surf and heatwaves.
There were 71,274 actions by lifeguards giving warnings to beachgoers, where 517 people required first aid, and 749 people were logged by personnel and needed an emergency vehicle to be transported by ambulance to an area hospital.
