Swimmer goes missing off Sonoma Coast, prompting search

A swimmer who went missing off the Sonoma Coast Wednesday morning has not been located, though search efforts are expected to resume Thursday.

The U.S. Coast Guard was notified about the missing swimmer at about 10:45 a.m. after a state parks ranger reported losing sight of a person in the ocean near Duncan’s Landing, north of Bodega Bay, Coast Guard Lt. Kyle Clausen said.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office learned the person, whose gender and approximate age were unknown as of Wednesday night, was reading on the beach before heading into the water, Clausen said.

“They were monitoring an individual that was swimming in the water and over time they lost their visual of the individual,” Clausen said of the park ranger.

Tall waves and low visibility prevented two Coast Guard boats from reaching the area where the swimmer was last seen, Clausen said.

A Coast Guard helicopter searched the area for about five hours. A CHP helicopter and local fire department rescue teams also helped with the search, though their efforts were fruitless, he said.

A probe of the area were the swimmer was last seen is expected to restart Thursday morning, Clausen said.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nashellytweets.