Search called off in Pacific Grove for missing swimmer

Coast Guard officials on Sunday suspended their search for a swimmer who went missing off a beach in Pacific Grove the day prior.

Monterey Fire crews said the 18-year-old male swimmer was last seen in the water on the north side of Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove around 4:40 p.m. Saturday.

Capt. Greg Stump, commander of the Coast Guard sector in San Francisco, said Sunday that searchers used boats and a helicopter through the night in an attempt to retrieve the man who vanished while swimming with his younger brother.

Rescuers say they received a report Saturday afternoon of two distressed swimmers swept off shore by strong currents at Asilomar State Beach.

They say a surfer helped the younger of the two brothers safely reach the shore, but the second couldn’t be found.

Stump says calling off such a search is one of the most difficult parts of his job.