SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Authorities searched from dawn to dusk Thursday for a fisherman who went missing after his skiff capsized in rough seas off the coast of La Jolla, but were unable to find him.
City and federal personnel suspended the search for Tony Nguyen of San Diego shortly after sunset, officials said. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department lifeguards plan to resume the search Friday morning, said department spokesman Lee Swanson.
The U.S. Coast Guard will not search again unless further developments warrant it, Petty Officer Robert Simpson said.
Nguyen was fishing for lobsters with four other men when the 25-foot powerboat overturned offshore from Windansea Beach shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Lifeguards soon rescued Nguyen's companions, all of whom were wearing life jackets, Swanson said. Medics took them to hospitals for treatment of minor trauma along with a lifeguard who was blindsided by a wave and swallowed an unhealthy amount of seawater.
City crews searched by boat and helicopter for Nguyen, who was not wearing a flotation vest at the time of the accident. The personnel suspended operations for the night after searching for several hours Wednesday, then resumed the operation this morning, Swanson said.
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter and Jayhawk helicopter crew scanned the ocean waters and shoreline overnight and remained on the job this morning and afternoon, Simpson said.