Swimmer Found Alive After Night Search

Crews rescued a man early this morning after he vanished into the surf off Venice Beach.

September 8, 2026 · Venice

A man who disappeared into the ocean off Venice Beach in the early hours of Tuesday morning was found alive on the rocks about 20 minutes later, [Patch is reporting](https://patch.com/california/santamonica/missing-swimmer-found-alive-after-overnight-search-venice-beach).

Bystanders called for help shortly after 1 a.m. after watching the man walk into the water near the 1500 block of Ocean Front Walk, beside the Venice Breakwater, and not come back out. Los Angeles Fire Department crews and county lifeguards searched the beach and surf before spotting him on the rocks near Ocean Front Walk and 20th Avenue, [according to Hoodline](https://hoodline.com/2026/09/venice-beach-swimmer-vanishes-into-dark-surf-found-alive-on-breakwater-rocks/).

Video from the scene showed rescuers helping the man onto a gurney. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. His name has not been released, and officials have not said why he went into the water.

Lifeguard towers along the county's beaches are unstaffed overnight, and Los Angeles city beaches are closed to the public from midnight to 5 a.m., so rescues like this one depend on witnesses on the sand calling 911. The Breakwater, an artificial rock barrier off Venice Beach, is known for currents that push swimmers toward the rocks, and county fire officials have long warned that swimming near jetties raises the risk of injury and entrapment.