Cold Dip, Cold Trail

Imperial Beach -- A 40-year-old male went missing after heading into the water 30 yards from the Tijuana river mouth on February 15.

According to transmissions over the police radio scanner, at 8:30 p.m. a welfare check call came in to San Diego sheriffs for help in locating a swimmer who had not been heard from for over half an hour.

Units arrived near the corner of Seacoast Drive and Encanto Avenue and were told by the reporting party that the missing person went into the water just north of the mouth of the TJ River. The water temperature was approximately 55 degrees. Sheriffs as well Imperial Beach lifeguards tried to conduct a search on the ground, but it was too dark.

At 8:51 p.m., the sheriff’s helicopter was called to help with the search. Lifeguards helped in the ground search north from Border Field State park and south of Encanto and Seacoast.

At approximately 9:30 p.m., the Coast Guard began their search from the Tijuana bullring to north of the Imperial Beach pier. At approximately 10:35 p.m., the Coast Guard did a second search, parallel to their first, but three nautical miles offshore. The man was not found, and at approximately 11:00 p.m. the search was called off.