LOCAL : Long Beach Boogie Boarder, 18, Drowns in Hurricane-Riled Surf

High surf churned by two hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean apparently caused the drowning death of a Long Beach teen-ager, who was boogie boarding near the Seal Beach Municipal Pier last night, police said today.

Jerrold Adams, 18, was pulled from the surf at about 10:15 p.m. by two Seal Beach police officers and two civilians who had been part of a search team that combed the beach for almost two hours, Seal Beach police Sgt. Dean Zanone said.

Although the exact cause of death is yet to be determined, Zanone said that Adams appeared to have drowned in the unusually high surf. Waves during the evening were measured as high as four feet, largely due to Hurricanes Hernan and Iselle off of Baja California, Zanone said.

“That’s actually a good swell for Seal Beach,” Zanone said.

Adams and two friends reportedly were visiting the beach for the first time when they decided to take an evening ride on their boogie boards, short, foam boards that riders lie on, rather than stand on like surf boards.

At 8:45, when Adams’ boogie board washed ashore south of the pier near 10th Street, the friends began looking for him. Minutes later, unable to locate him, they called police.

The police department, with the help of the Seal Beach Lifeguards, Long Beach lifeguards and the Orange County Harbor Patrol, searched the beach area with searchlights and a Newport Beach Police helicopter, Zanone said.

At 10:15 p.m., Adams was found unconscious, floating under the pier. Rescuers were unable to revive him, Zanone said.