The search for the man who is presumed to have drowned at Castaic Lake continued Tuesday, two days after he reportedly fell off a paddleboard in the lake’s lower lagoon.
Efforts are expected to continue on Wednesday, according to Deputy Daniel Dominguez with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau. He did not know exactly when the search on Tuesday concluded, but said there were weather issues during the afternoon portion of the search.
Sheriff’s Department personnel could be seen on Tuesday canvassing the 6-acre area of the lower lagoon where it had been determined that the man was likely to be found. Department officials had used a warrant under exigent circumstances to obtain cell phone information, which they used in addition to witness statements to determine the search area.
According to a Sheriff’s Department Special Weapons Team official speaking on background, the first part of the search on Tuesday involved marine personnel using autonomous robots and a handheld sonar system to pinpoint possible areas where the body could be found.
The official said once those locations were determined, divers could be deployed to manually search specific areas.
Divers were deployed just after noon on Tuesday, going underwater for minutes at a time before resurfacing.
The lake was closed to the public both Monday and Tuesday as the search operation was ongoing.
First responders were alerted on Sunday at approximately 12:23 p.m. to two people who fell into Castaic Lake while paddleboarding, according to Capt. Sheila Kelleher of the L.A. County Fire Department. First responders were at the lake 15 minutes later.
Initially, it was reported the pair had been kayaking, but investigators later determined that they had been paddleboarding.
Kelleher said there were two patients involved. One patient, a woman, was rescued from the water and reportedly did not have injuries. She was seen Monday by the water waiting as the search was under way for the man who had been with her in the water.
The woman had been wearing a life jacket, while the man was not, according to radio dispatch traffic.
Visitors at the lake on Sunday were being directed by lake personnel to leave the lower lagoon water once officials were alerted to the incident.
The family of the missing man was watching the search operation both Monday and Tuesday. A Sheriff’s Department chaplain was present on Tuesday with the family.
One of the state’s largest reservoirs, according to the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation website, the lake’s surface area is approximately 12,658 acres, which includes the main upper lake and the lower lagoon, where Sunday’s incident occurred. The lagoon is 197 acres, and the maximum depth is approximately 70 feet.
Sgt. Charles Weather of the Sheriff’s Department’s Emergency Services Detail said it’s been at least several years since a drowning had occurred at the lake, but he did not have the most recent incident information available.
Signal Staff Writers Kamryn Martell, Maya Morales and Perry Smith contributed to this report.
