Search called off for missing 19-year-old swimmer off Ocean Beach

SAN FRANCISCO (Alex Savidge/KTVU) - U.S. Coast Guard crews called off a search Wednesday morning for a 19-year-old simmer who had been missing off Ocean Beach since the night before.

Despite searching for him for 13 hours, he still hadn't been found. The search was called off about 10 a.m. Wednesday.

At about 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, his friend called 911 to report the 19-year-old was in distress near the Cliff House restaurant at 1090 Point Lobos Ave, Coast Guard Lt. Megan Mervar said. He had been swimming and apparently his friend thought he was OK, even though he hadn't returned to shore in a while.

Thick fog overnight prevented teams from searching for the young man until morning.

Coast Guard officials encourage beach goers to wear life jackets when going into deep water and to immediately call 911 if they see a person in distress.