Off-Duty L.A. Firefighter Dies in Diving Accident
The body of an off-duty Los Angeles firefighter was pulled from the ocean off Laguna Beach on Saturday, nearly four hours after two other members of his diving party reported him missing, police said.
The victim was identified as Michael Pizinger, 32, of San Pedro, assigned to Los Angeles Fire Station 66 on Slauson Avenue.
Pizinger, described as a beginner, had been diving with his wife and a fellow firefighter in Shaw’s Cove, a popular diving spot less than a mile north of Main Beach, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.
Conditions worsened with swells reaching seven feet, prompting the group to swim for shore, Kravetz said.
“When the other two got to shore, they looked behind and couldn’t find him,” Kravetz said.
A search party of about 30 from five agencies combed the area before locating Pizinger’s body about 1:15 p.m. about 100 yards offshore. It was “being held underneath the water by the current,” Kravetz said.
An autopsy was scheduled for today, the Orange County coroner’s office said.
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