Jet Skier, Missing Overnight in the Ocean, Is Found Safe
A jet skier missing since Friday was in good condition after he was found off the Orange County coast by the crew of a commercial fishing boat on Saturday, authorities said.
Marc Walker, 35, was spotted by crew members of the fishing vessel Epco at 9 a.m. in waters off San Onofre, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Brenda Toledo. Walker’s wife reported him missing after he left Avalon on Santa Catalina Island at 1:30 p.m. Friday to jet ski to Dana Point, Toledo said.
“The wet suit’s what really saved him” by warding off hypothermia, Toledo said. Seas early Saturday were up to five feet with three-foot swells, she said. It was not known what happened during Walker’s trip from Avalon, 32 miles from Dana Point.
The Coast Guard dispatched two helicopters, two small planes, a Falcon jet, three cutters and a patrol boat to hunt for the man. Vessels from Avalon, Newport Beach, Dana Point and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department also participated in the search, Toledo said.
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