Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

Ventura County Sheriff's Department search-and-rescue diver Dominique Evans-Bye enters the water in search of a 16-year-old Oxnard boy who was swept off a cliff below Mugu Rock near Point Mugu. A brother saw the boy get knocked into the surf while fishing Saturday.

Video: Missing near Mugu Rock

  
As rescue workers continue their search for a boy who was washed off the rocks near Mugu Rock, family members gathered nearby.
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Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

Search-and-rescue efforts are coordinated above the spot where the boy had been fishing.

Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

Jim Traverson of the Sheriff's search-and-rescue team prepares to search for the unidentified Oxnard boy, who was fishing near Mugu Rock on Saturday.

Search-and-rescue teams planned to continue efforts today to find an Oxnard teenager who was swept to sea Saturday while fishing off a coastal cliff below Mugu Rock.

Authorities called off a search mission at 4 p.m. Saturday as divers' air supplies ran low. But an official with the Ventura County Fire Department stopped short of saying the 16-year-old youth was dead.

"He is still missing," said Battalion Chief Norm Plott, declining to name the young man.

County fire officials got a call at 11:40 a.m. Saturday about the incident, which was witnessed by the teenager's 18-year-old brother, Plott said.

The missing teenager was described as a "poor swimmer," he said.

The missing boy's sister, sister-in-law and niece were also along for the day. A Fire Department chaplain took them home. They were unavailable for comment.

State lifeguards were the first to respond to the scene, just off Pacific Coast Highway near Point Mugu. Ventura County Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Baywatch team members, U.S. Coast Guard, California Highway Patrol and federal firefighters assisted at the scene.

By roughly 1 p.m., authorities abandoned rescue efforts and refocused on a search mission, Plott said.

Coast Guard ships searched 319 miles of ocean in a 44-square-mile area, a news statement said.

Helicopters dropped seven divers into the area off the coast, and they marked their locations with buoys. Using tethered lines, divers fanned out about 50 feet to establish a search pattern, said Tim Coates, underwater diving team leader and a volunteer with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department search-and-rescue team.

Undersea visibility ran from "zero to you might be able to see your hand at the end of your nose," said Coates, a facilities maintenance supervisor with the city of Thousand Oaks.

The National Weather Service issued a high-surf advisory Saturday through 10 a.m. today for the county's coastline. Because of the high waves, Ventura fire officials closed the Ventura Pier on Saturday.

During the search, undersea swells routinely jostled divers up to 15 feet, Coates said.

Currents were running about 1 knot down the coast toward Los Angeles most of the day, and several officials speculated that the teen had likely floated in that direction.

"Trying to chase somebody down the coast is practically impossible," said Capt. Steve Giles, who oversees the dive team for the Sheriff's Department.

Divers, however, will likely look again today, Coates said.

"We want to get closure for the family," he said.

Coast Guard crews suspended their participation in the search at 6:20 p.m. Saturday. Sheriff's Department helicopters are expected to resume searching this morning at daybreak, authorities said.

Mugu Rock has been the site of several drownings, averaging about one a year, said Ventura County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Dave Kenney, who oversees the search-and-rescue team.

Some people are swept off by rogue waves. Yet others commit suicide there, Kenney said.

He urged people to be cautious when walking or fishing near the coastline on the rocks. Even calm waters flare up unexpectedly with powerful waves, he said.

Kenney recommended that fishers and others wear protective gear. Even a good swimmer can be knocked unconscious on the rocks if hit by a wave, Kenney said.

"A life vest could give you a bit of a chance," Kenney said.