Because of dangerous surf and strong winds along the Southern California coast, authorities called off their search for two men whose boat capsized and washed ashore near the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The men went fishing in a small boat on Monday afternoon, from San Pedro, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson.
At the time, weather forecasters had issued a small boat advisory, warning boaters in Los Angeles County that there could be waves up to 10 feet high.
When the men did not return, they were reported missing around 05:00 on Tuesday.
About half an hour later, their overturned boat was found by passers-by along the rocky shore of Palos Verdes Estates, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said. However, the men were not on board.
The Coast Guard and several law enforcement agencies cleared the hot water with rescue boats, drones and helicopters but still had not found the men by Wednesday afternoon.
After more than 30 hours without receiving a distress call, the coast guard announced it had called off the search.
The disappearance of the boaters came during a week when high tides damaged the historic Santa Cruz Wharf and a man died after getting caught in debris in Monterey Bay’s high tide.
Meteorologists say in Los Angeles and Orange counties, tides will reach 5 to 10 feet on Christmas Day. Waves of up to 15 feet were expected to continue for the rest of the week in northern San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
