According to investigators, 34-year-old Frank Daniel Austin of Rowland Heights man disappeared while swimming in the ocean with his mother Sunday. He was last seen going into the water at about 4 p.m. His mother reported him missing just after 7 p.m. Rescue crews searched for the man for five hours until it was too dark to continue.
"All of the sudden, we saw a lot of police and fire trucks on the beach, and we realized that somebody must have been out in the water, and that they were looking for him," said Julie Weinstein, who was vacationing in the area.
A Coast Guard helicopter scoured the surf from the sky, while Orange County deputies patrolled the water and lifeguards searched a three-mile stretch of the coastline.
The search was called off at about 3 p.m.
Authorities say the rough surf may have contributed to the possible drowning. The surf was breaking 5-7 feet on Sunday.