EUREKA, Calif. — The Coast Guard has ended a search for a teenager whose parents were killed when the three family members tried to rescue their dog from powerful surf in Northern California.
Coast Guard Lt. Bernie Garrigan said Monday a person without a wetsuit could not survive for long because of the frigid waters.
Authorities say powerful, 10-foot waves pulled the dog into the ocean Saturday as it ran to retrieve a stick at Big Lagoon, north of Eureka.
Dana Jones, a state parks district superintendent, says the boy went after the dog, prompting his father to attempt a rescue. The teenager was able to get out of the waves but then went back into the water with his mother in search of his father.
Jones says the dog got out of the water on its own.