Missing teen in Abalone Cove presumed dead

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (KABC) -- A recent high school graduate who disappeared in rough surf in Rancho Palos Verdes is presumed dead. A recovery mission is now underway.

Los Angeles County lifeguards responded to Abalone Cove at about 3 p.m. Wednesday. Friends of the missing 19-year-old said a group of them were jumping off the rocks into the water, which was calm at the time.

But by the time the unidentified teen jumped in, the tide had come in, and waves were crashing against the rocks. He yelled out that he needed help, so his friends tried to throw him a rope, but he couldn't reach it.

Toogee Zepeda said he then jumped into the water and was able to get the teen to a rock in a cave. He left to go get help, but when he came back, the teen was nowhere to be found.

"I needed to help him, and then it became a fight for my life," he said.

Zepeda said he told his friend they needed to swim to get to safety, or the waves would keep coming in, but the teen said he couldn't swim.

"I couldn't carry him on my back, so I told him, 'Stay, hold on to this rock. Whatever you do, don't let go of this rock.'"

The group of friends are all recent graduates of Jordan and Lakewood high schools.

Crews spent hours searching for the teen but were unable to find him Wednesday. Rescue divers also searched for the teen's body for eight hours Thursday to no avail. Officials say a sheriff's boat and a helicopter will continue the search overnight, and divers will resume their search Friday morning.

Officials say YouTube videos have been drawing more people to Abalone Cove, known as 'The Washing Machine' to many because of the way water churns inside of there. Visitors say the thrill is hiking down to the rocks and taking the 15-foot plunge into the water.

There have been 50 rescues this week alone, three of which required helicopters and additional resources.

"It looks fairly benign up here, but once you get down in the water, there's a considerable amount of surge, visibility is probably one to two feet, and diving into a cave is just an extremely technical and dangerous operation," L.A. County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Phil Barth said.

L.A. County lifeguards have restricted Inspiration Point and Portuguese Point to the public until sundown on Sunday.