Authorities continued their search Friday for a 28-year-old firefighter who went missing underwater in the Port of Long Beach.
The search, now considered a recovery effort, began near the 1200 block of Pier F Avenue Wednesday just before 10 p.m. The off-duty firefighter was one of four men freediving, a type of diving that does not require scuba equipment, aboard a private boat near Pier F on Wednesday night.
The missing diver was identified only as a 28-year-old man who had been with the Los Angeles Fire Department for six years.
LAFD said in a statement Thursday that “diver survivability and reduced visibility made it difficult to continue the long search operation as underwater operations continued for more than 19 hours without a break.” . “Based on these factors, and the length of time since the diver was last seen, the unified force made the decision on Thursday night to transition from a search and rescue operation to a recovery operation.
The search continues in the area where firefighters were last seen.
Personnel from the LAFD, Long Beach Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Port of Los Angeles Police Department, and Long Beach Police Department participated in the search effort.
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