An abalone diver missing off the Mendocino Coast since Wednesday evening was found dead offshore Thursday morning, state fire officials said.


The man, whose name was not available, had been diving near Westport on Wednesday evening when rough water forced him and two companions to seek safety on a rocky outcropping just offshore, authorities said.

But only two were able to get onto the rocks at the time emergency crews were called around 6:30 p.m., and the third was lost in the water, authorities said.

“The water was being very aggressive,” said Fort Bragg Fire Chief Steve Orsi, whose department provided assistance to the Westport Fire Department in the search.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter plucked two of the divers off the rocks, but water conditions prevented much of a search for the missing man, Orsi said.

Seas were too rough for divers, he said, and there was no room to put in a rescue boat, given the conditions. “We would have crashed it,” he said.

“It just wasn’t a good night to be on the water,” Orsi said.

Coast Guard and fire crews resumed their search Thursday morning, and found the diver’s body by around 9 a.m., state fire officials said.

Crews were still assembling to recover it a short time later, the California State Forestry and Fire Department said.

Authorities said it was believed the divers were out of the Bay Area, though that could not be confirmed Thursday morning.

— Mary Callahan