Swimmer vanishes in ocean off Venice Beach overnight — before miracle rescue

A swimmer reported missing off Venice Beach was found alive on rocks early Monday after witnesses saw him enter the ocean but never saw him return.

The Los Angeles Fire Department and lifeguards responded to the 1500 block of Ocean Front Walk around 1 a.m., KTLA reported.

Onlookers raised the alarm, triggering a search for the missing swimmer.

First responders scanned the entire beach and searched for the man, who was found 20 minutes later on the rocks. The LA lifeguards quickly rescued the swimmer and put him on a gurney.

He was later taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Authorities have not released any details surrounding the circumstances that stopped the swimmer from coming back to the beach.

Over Labor Day weekend, powerful surf generated by Tropical Storm Marie battered Southern California, breaching a seawall along the Long Beach Peninsula and inundating coastal homes.

Long Beach Fire Department firefighters conducted door-to-door evacuations Monday night at 20 homes between 63rd Place and 67th Place after the seawall was compromised.

Heavy waves flooded neighborhood streets, tore up portions of the nearby boardwalk, and washed away protective sand berms. City building officials are currently conducting structural assessments on the affected properties, several of which sustained cracked concrete and foundation damage.

Several inches of water and sand flooded coastal neighborhoods across Long Beach and nearby Seal Beach. Residents scrambled to clear water logged debris after pounding ocean surf overwhelmed protective sand berms.

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