San Diego

The body of a Navy SEAL who was reported missing by his wife when he failed to return from a recreational dive was discovered in the water off La Jolla, officials said.

Navy SEAL divers found the body of Chief Petty Officer David E. Billings, 41, of Melbourne, Fla., at noon Monday, said Cmdr. Robert Pritchard, a Navy spokesman.

Billings was found on the second day of a search.

The Navy and Coast Guard had conducted a surface search from morning until dark Sunday. Early Monday, highly trained divers from the Navy’s Special Warfare Command began an underwater search for Billings.

Searchers had found Billings’ car in the 300 block of Marina Avenue near La Jolla Cove, where he reportedly told a friend Sunday he was going diving.

Billings joined the Navy in 1976 and completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in 1981. He was assigned to SEAL Team Three in 1984.

Though he was on a recreational dive, Billings apparently was wearing special underwater equipment used by the elite divers, Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Wayne Brown said.

Pritchard said the equipment was Billings’ own, however. The equipment prevents bubbles from reaching the water’s surface, to prevent detection by hostile forces. Why Billings wore that type of equipment on an unofficial dive is not known, Pritchard said.