'Mayday' Rescue: Boater Hits Dense Fog Near Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA, CA — Authorities rescued a man who issued a "mayday" call after getting lost in the dense fog near the south end of Santa Monica this week.

The unidentified boater was on a 24-foot powerboat and reported being in danger of running aground about 7:32 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Santa Monica Police Department's Pier and Harbor Services.

He was not injured, police told Patch.

Officers responded to the marine radio frequency and alerted the U.S. Coast Guard and Los Angeles County lifeguards, police said. They contacted the owner and solo occupant of the vessel near the 3000 block of the beach, nearly in the surf zone.

Officers used a 30-foot Seaway rescue boat with specialized equipment to mitigate hazards at the pier, near the shore, in the open ocean and underwater, police said.

The vessel is also outfitted with electronic navigational equipment, including radar, GPS plotter, depth finder and a radio directional finder to assist in search and rescue missions in limited visibility, police said.

The dense fog limited visibility to about 30 feet, requiring the officers to navigate entirely with instruments, police said.

"They escorted the vessel through the persistent heavy fog to the entrance of Marina del Rey, where the escort was transferred to the L.A. County Lifeguard Baywatch boat and safely returned inside of the marina," police said.

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. with the boater's condition during the rescue.

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