Search for 5-year-old girl swept away by massive wave in Laguna Beach becomes recovery mission

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. - A rescue effort turned to a routine recovery watch on Thursday morning after emergency officials officially ended their dedicated search for a young girl who was swept into the ocean in Laguna Beach.

The young victim was pulled out to sea by a powerful rogue wave on Tuesday evening during a historic, 9-foot summer south swell that also engulfed her mother and sibling before heroic bystanders rushed into the surf to pull the other two family members to safety.

What we know:

The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday near Treasure Island Beach, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. 

High surf pounding Southern California beaches created dangerous conditions, producing a wave that swept a mother and her two children off the shoreline and into the ocean. 

Witnesses on the scene immediately intervened and successfully rescued the mother and one of the children. However, the second child, described as a girl believed to be 5-years-old, could not be reached and remains missing.

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Crews from the Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department, the Orange County Sheriff's Department Harbor Patrol, and the U.S. Coast Guard spent Wednesday searching coastal and offshore areas using boats, personal watercraft, aircraft, dive teams, and shore-based personnel, but were unable to locate the girl. 

The dangerous water conditions are being driven by a high surf event affecting both Orange and Los Angeles counties, with breaking waves reaching heights of up to 9 feet along the coast.

What we don't know:

The identity of the missing girl has not yet been publicly released by authorities. 

It is also currently unknown if the mother or the rescued sibling sustained injuries during the incident or required hospitalization after being pulled from the surf by bystanders.

What they're saying:

"This is one of the most heartbreaking incidents I have witnessed during my time serving this community," Laguna Beach Mayor Mark Orgill said in a statement.

"We came from Arizona so yeah it's really sad and we stayed a little bit on the sand and we're going right now, it's not safe," said Maya Elters who was visiting Laguna Beach on Sunday with her family. "I hope I wish, I pray to God that they find her. I'll send my prayers to her, and I advise everybody, just stay safe, it's not a joke," said Elters.

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"I definitely wouldn't bring your kids to the beach until this calms down," another person in Laguna Beach said Wednesday.

"Search operations initially focus heavily on the last known location of a missing person," according to a statement from the city. "As time passes, particularly during periods of large surf and strong currents, search teams expand outward to areas where conditions may have carried a person beyond the original search zone."

"Marine Safety is expanding the search area beyond the victim's last known location," according to a statement from the city. "Members of the public may notice fewer personnel concentrated directly at Treasure Island Beach. This does not indicate a reduction in search efforts. Rather, it reflects a standard search pattern strategy in which resources are redistributed across a broader geographic area based on prevailing ocean conditions, currents, wave action and drift modeling."

What's next:

High surf and dangerous rip currents are expected to continue along Southern California beaches Thursday, with forecasters warning beachgoers to exercise caution as large swells persist through Thursday evening.

A High Surf Advisory remains in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday for Los Angeles County beaches and the Malibu coast, where waves of 4 to 7 feet and local sets of 8 to 12 feet were forecast by the National Weather Service. 

A Beach Hazards Statement also remains in effect through 5 p.m. Thursday for Orange County beaches, where forecasters predicted surf of 4 to 7 feet. 

The weather agency said a high risk of life-threatening rip currents is expected to continue through Thursday, with surf gradually subsiding to 3 to 6 feet later in the day. 

Surf conditions are expected to improve Friday, when wave heights are forecast to diminish and the rip current risk is expected to decrease to moderate.

What you can do:

Officials have repeatedly urged the public to exercise extreme caution near the shoreline, warning that "powerful water conditions while near the shoreline" can easily catch beachgoers off guard.

Beachgoers are strongly advised to keep a safe distance from the shoreline and avoid low-lying rock formations or wet sand where rogue waves can hit. Rock jetties and groins can be particularly dangerous during such conditions, with a high risk of being washed into the water, according to the NWS.

Los Angeles County lifeguards advise anyone entering the water "to understand the risks and assess conditions by talking to a lifeguard before getting into the surf."

"There is an increased risk of ocean drowning," the National Weather Service stated. "Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks and capsize small boats near shore."

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