Missing Newport Beach Boater's Coast Guard Search Suspended

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — The search for a 47-year-old missing boater was suspended Monday afternoon, nearly 24-hours after the man's vessel washed ashore in Newport Beach. The United States Coast Guard stopped looking for Newport Beach resident Nicholas Busick after combing across 186 nautical miles, they reported.

Busick reportedly left the harbor on Sunday afternoon at approximately 1 p.m. according to OCSD information officer Carrie Braun, and has not been seen since. Homicide detectives joined the search investigation late Monday morning.

Busick went for a joyride on his 17-foot Boston Whaler, OCSD Carrie Braun said. His boat returned to shore, engine idling, but Busick was nowhere to be found.

"He was alone when he headed out, according to reports from concerned family members, and there were no distress calls given between the hours of 1 and 5 p.m. when the empty boat washed on shore before sunset on Sunday evening," Braun said.

OCSD does not believe his disappearance is suspicious in nature, however the department is conducting a full investigation. During Busick's time at sea, there was no indication of rough ocean conditions that may have contributed to the mystery, according to Braun.

On Monday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and cutter searched Newport Beach waters for the missing captain whose boat washed ashore unoccupied Sunday evening, authorities said. Authorities believe that the boat had been anchored between Catalina Island and Newport Beach.

After a 19-hour search for 47-year-old Nicholas Busick of Newport Beach, who went out boating Sunday afternoon and has not been heard from since, authorities called off the hunt at about 11:20 a.m., said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney.

The lifeguard, who first approached the boat at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, was interviewed for the second time on Monday.

After the initial discovery when the boat was beached at 48th Street in Newport Beach, the search for Busick ensued. A multi-agency search has included the OC sheriff's Harbor Patrol, Coast Guard, Newport lifeguards, and Huntington Beach and Newport Beach police departments.

While other agencies waited for daybreak, the Coast Guard search continued after dark with an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter equipped with night vision technology and the Cutter Narwhal, the Coast Guard said. All other departments resumed their search at daylight, Monday morning.

OCSD Photo