Search crews kept working Wednesday morning off Laguna Beach after a mother and her two children were swept into the ocean near Treasure Island Beach on Tuesday evening, leaving one adolescent girl still missing. Bystanders pulled the mother and one child to safety, but the search for the girl stretched into a second day as responders widened the effort underwater and from the air.
The Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department said it was called around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday about multiple swimmers in distress near the beach. More than 30 people joined the search, with help from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Coast Guard. Two bystanders who helped in the rescue were taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Kai Bond said a large wave came up and pulled the family into the ocean. He said crews were walking down every avenue possible to locate the missing girl, a reminder of how quickly a beach emergency can turn into a search with no clear end point.
The rescue and search unfolded during a stretch of dangerous surf across Southern California. A high surf advisory was in effect for Catalina, the Santa Barbara islands, the Malibu Coast and all Los Angeles County beaches, and hazardous conditions remained in place for the San Diego and Orange County coastlines through Thursday afternoon. Reports said south-facing beaches were expecting 5- to 8-foot waves, with some sets at The Wedge in Newport Beach peaking at over 20 feet.
Newport Beach’s chief lifeguard said his department made 105 rescues on Tuesday alone, underscoring how widespread the danger was along the coast. For Laguna Beach, the immediate question was narrower and far more urgent: whether the missing adolescent girl could still be found after overnight searches came up empty.
