Two Hmong Swimmers missing off Huntington Beach, Ca on 8/28/2010

HUNTINGTON BEACH - The search for two swimmers who went missing Saturday afternoon near Huntington City Beach’s Tower No. 3 just south of the Huntington Beach Pier is continuing, though efforts to find them have not been successful.  At 2:30 p.m., Huntington Beach City Lifeguards noticed a group of four men struggling in the 5- to 6-foot surf line, said Martha Werth, a spokeswoman with Huntington Beach Fire.

Friends of the two missing swimmers hold hands in prayer on the sand near lifeguard tower 3 in Huntington Beach Saturday afternoon.SAM GANGWER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER


The lifeguards rescued one of the men and a second one made it to the beach on his own. But the two other men appear to have been pulled out by a riptide, Werth said. Werth said the four men, who all appeared to be in their 20s, were at the beach with a large group of friends from the Inland Empire. She also said that the lifeguards reported that the men appeared not to be the strongest of swimmers.

The search effort includes two Orange County Sheriff Department boats, two California State Beach Lifeguard boats and a Huntington City Beach Lifeguard watercraft. There are also 15 Huntington Beach City and State Lifeguards in the water. Costa Mesa’s Eagle helicopter is also searching for the two men by air with a Huntington City Beach lifeguard on board as a spotter.

Huntington Beach Fire and paramedics are on standby in the event the swimmers are rescued, Werth said.
“We have a lot of resources dedicated to this,” she said.

Werth also cautions all beachgoers to be aware of their swimming skills when coming to the beach.
“If you’re not a good swimmer, do not overestimate your swimming ability,” she said. “Swimming in the ocean is not the same as swimming in a pool. Do not underestimate the power of the surf and of riptides.”

Late Saturday afternoon, the two men who made it out and their group of friends remained at the beach, still hoping for their friends’ rescue.
The dozen stood in a circle, clasping hands, their heads bowed in prayer. Afterward, one woman sat in the sand, crying. Others stared at the ocean.
They declined to speak to a reporter.



http://www.ocregister.com/news/beach-264151-huntington-swimmers.html

My condolence goes to the victim's family and friends. 

http://www.ocregister.com/video/?videoId=600488138001&lineupId=1125901233

Body of Banning man lost at sea washes ashore

The Orange County Coroner's Office reports that the body of Shao Moua, 20, of Banning, was found about 6:30 a.m. at the beach about 3 miles northwest of Huntington Beach.

By Staff,  City News Service
Sunday, September 5, 2010

One of two Inland Empire men lost in the surf at Huntington Beach a week ago washed ashore Saturday at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

The Orange County Coroner’s Office reports that the body of Shao Moua, 20, of Banning, was found about 6:30 a.m. at the beach about 3 miles northwest of Huntington Beach. The coroner lists the cause of death as “apparent ocean drowning.”

Moua and John Shua Lee, 24, were among a group of people celebrating a wedding at the Laotian Evangelical Church, on August 28th.

They and two other men got into trouble in the 5-6 foot waves just south of Huntington Beach Pier, authorities said.

Two men made it out of the water.



Read more: http://www.swrnn.com/southwest-riverside/2010-09-05/local-county-news/body-of-banning-man-lost-at-sea-washes-ashore#ixzz0ygaS2QDB

they found both bodies which is a good thing and shao moua funeral will be held this weekend

BOLSA CHICA -- Authorities found the body of Johnshua Lee Tuesday afternoon, more than a week after he and a friend were swept away by a riptide in Huntington Beach.

Lee's body was found floating in the water at the Naval Station in Seal Beach at about 6 p.m., according to the coroner's office.

Lee, 24, and Shao Moua, 20, both from Banning, were swimming with two other friends near Huntington City Beach's Tower No. 3 when they were both overcome by riptides.

Moua's body washed up at Bolsa Chica state beach Saturday.

Huntington Beach lifeguards spotted four swimmers having trouble in high surf conditions south of the Huntington Beach Pier, said Huntington Beach Fire Department Spokesman Jeff Lopez.

Lifeguards launched a rescue effort. One male was rescued, while another man swam to shore.

Two more men, Moua and Lee, disappeared and were presumed drowned after an hours-long search effort was unsuccessful.

Moua and Lee had apparently been caught in a rip current.

The men were with a group from the Laotian Evangelical Church attending a wedding.

there are many swimmers drowned around that area for many years now.... heres an article back in 2007:


Rip current suspected in drowning of two men off Huntington Beach
August 09, 2007|Tami Abdollah and Garrett Therolf, Times Staff WritersTwo workers from a dirt motorcycle accessory company drowned just off Huntington Beach early Wednesday, their bodies spotted by surfers after an all-night search, officials said.

The men were among five people who went into the water after midnight just north of the Huntington Beach Pier, said Huntington Beach Police Lt. Craig Junginger. When their friends noticed the two men were missing, they notified the beach maintenance crew, which called police, officials said.

The victims were identified as Christopher Palmer of Long Beach, who died about a week before his 25th birthday, and Ryan Reid, 22, of Huntington Beach.

The cause of death is "presumed drowning" pending autopsies, said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

All five members of the group had been drinking in the hours before entering the ocean, but they were not believed to be heavily intoxicated, said Huntington Beach Marine Safety Lt. Michael Baumgartner.

Ronnie Kimble said Palmer, his cousin, went far into the ocean in an attempt to save Reid. "If the ocean wants you, it's going to take you," Kimble said. "There's no fighting Mother Nature, but he died a hero."

The search involved lifeguards, five divers, two helicopters, boats and the Coast Guard's 41-foot search vessel, Baumgartner said.

Reid's body was found at 5:48 a.m., about half a mile north of the pier near 17th Street, and Palmer's was found at 7:53 a.m. near Goldenwest Street, roughly a mile north of the pier, Baumgartner said.

The death of Palmer was especially shocking for his family because he was a strong swimmer who had been a lifeguard and was an experienced surfer. He also enjoyed dirt biking and skiing.

He worked with Reid at ASV Inventions of Huntington Beach, a maker of handles, levers and kickstands for dirt bikes.

Reid had started working for the company in recent weeks, and his family had seen the job as a turning point in his life.

"He just got his life together. He got a good job. He had struggled to live in the past with drinking, but things were getting better," said his cousin, 19-year-old Justin Reid.

The city beach closes about 10 p.m., Baumgartner said. Popular with surfers, the beach had low to normal surf breaking about 1 to 3 feet, Baumgartner said.

"The best we can say is there are rip currents on the beach, and it is possible they got caught in a rip current and drowned," he said. Rip currents are the No. 1 reason for ocean rescues in the country's coastal zones, Baumgartner said.

"Obviously, we love people to come to the beach to enjoy surfing and swimming," he said. "And to do it safely, we always recommend they come during the day to have lifeguards to help them out if they get into trouble."