Coast Guard, Lifeguards Search Mission Bay For Missing Orange County Man

SAN DIEGO, CA – Lifeguards and U.S. Coast Guard personnel scanned the ocean and shorelines around Mission Bay for a second day Wednesday in search of an Orange County man who may have gone missing during a sea outing on a small motorboat.

San Diego lifeguards found the 6-foot dinghy floating about a mile west of the harbor late Tuesday morning, USCG Petty Officer Joel Guzman said. Inside was a diving mask, swim fins and identification belonging to 36-year-old Garrett Ferguson of Huntington Beach.

The Coast Guard sent the cutter Haddock, a 45-foot response boat and two helicopters to search the seas and coastline in the area, Guzman said. The Navy and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials also deployed aircraft to assist, and city lifeguards continued to take part in the effort.

Anyone with information about Ferguson's possible whereabouts was asked to call Coast Guard operations at (619) 278-7033.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock