Authorities continue their search of an off-duty Los Angeles firefighter who went missing while recreational diving off a pier in Long Beach. Mekahlo Medina reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2024.
Rescue crews from multiple agencies continue searching for a diver who went missing at the Port of Long Beach Wednesday night.
A team of about two dozen divers with the Long Beach Fire Department, Los Angeles City Fire Department, both police departments from Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the Los Angeles Port Police were working to find the missing diver, according to Dennis Buchanan, Fire Chief from Long Beach Fire Department.
On Thursday, authorities identified the diver as a 28-year-old off-duty firefighter with the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
The missing diver went recreational diving on his day off and was not involved with any fire department duties at the time of his disappearance, according to Kristin Crowley, Fire Chief of the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
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The missing off-duty firefighter has been with the Los Angeles City Fire Department for six years, and he is currently assigned to an active fire station in the city of Los Angeles, Crowley said.
The man had gone diving with a group of people Wednesday night. One of them was driving when three of the men went into the water, but only two returned.
The men, all believed to be in their 20s, quickly called 911 at around 9:45 p.m. and the search began.
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The search for the missing diver began Wednesday night after the Long Beach Fire Department received a call at around 9:45 p.m.
The group had gone free diving near Pier J along Harbor Scenic Drive near the Queen Mary, according to Brian Fisk of the Long Beach Police Department.
The local waterway near Pier J is closed due to the traffic, according to Buchanan.
Free diving involves diving without being tethered and without an air tank. Divers are usually wearing a wet suit, a mask or goggles and fins.
The search operation is a multi-agency effort involving the Long Beach Police Department, the Los Angeles City Fire Department, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Los Angeles Port Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Long Beach Harbor Patrol.
As of Thursday afternoon Long Beach Fire announced efforts would transition from a "search and rescue mission to a recovery operation."
