Lifeguards and firefighters searched Sunday afternoon for an 18-year-old whose friends saw him go under the surface of the ocean amid heavy surf in Laguna Beach, authorities said.
The victim, shirtless and wearing black shorts, was last seen in the water off Thousand Steps Beach about 1:35 p.m., said Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority.
Lifeguards were searching the water in boats as sheriff's and OCFA helicopters searched from the air for the missing teen. Ground-based Laguna Beach and OCFA firefighters also searched for him from the ground, Concialdi said.