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Authorities are searching for the body of a 19-year-old swimmer who drowned in the choppy waters off of the coast of Ranchos Palos Verdes on Wednesday afternoon.
The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. received reports of a missing swimmer, whose friends identified as Joseph Sanchez, at Abalone Cove at Inspiration Point a little before 3 p.m., according to KTLA. Sanchez and his buddy Toogee Zepeda were at the cove cliff jumping, something they did regularly together.
Zepeda said that when Sanchez jumped, the waves of the high surf knocked him onto the rocks, which pushed him into a cave. He also noted his friend wasn't a great swimmer, so Zepeda jumped in the waters to save him, but was unable to carry him on his back. He told Sanchez to hold on to a rock while he went for help, but when he came back, his friend was gone.
When rescue teams arrived, they weren't able to find Sanchez. An expert team of divers are searching for him today as well.
The two aren't the only ones who've faced trouble in those waters. Lifeguards told CBS Los Angeles that they've had over 60 rescues in that area since the Fourth of July weekend.
"People seem to feel a little more comfortable than they should," Scott Miller of the L.A. County Fire Dept. told NBC Los Angeles. "This environment is extremely dangerous. There's slippery rocks, there's a bad egress to get out and conditions are always changing,'' Miller said.
