Man Jumps Off Venice Pier

Rescuers Searching For West Hollywood Man Who Jumped Off Venice Pier
July 5, 2010

Emergency rescue workers were searching Monday morning for a 31-year-old West Hollywood man who disappeared after he jumped into the ocean from the Venice Pier. Brian Patrick Dunn was "highly intoxicated" when he leaped into the water fully clothed around 2:30 a.m., U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Jim Hiltz said. A high surf advisory was in effect at the time.  "It's really rough seas," Hiltz said. "There are significantly larger swells than there are normally. Witnesses actually saw him jump into the face of this breaking surf.  "While Coast Guard crews and Los Angeles County lifeguards searched the water, officers with the Los Angeles Police Department looked for the missing man on land, Hiltz said.

Body of Man Found who Jumped off Venice Pier is Found

July 12, 2010

A fisherman found the body of a man who jumped off Venice Pier and into the ocean a week ago, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said Monday. An autopsy will be performed on Brian Dunn, 31, of Los Angeles, said Selena Barros, a spokeswoman for the coroner's office. Officials think Dunn was intoxicated when he jumped from the fishing pier July 5 at 2:45 a.m. fully clothed. His body was found floating in Santa Monica Bay about half a mile north of where he jumped, Barros said. Searchers looked for Dunn for several hours in high surf after a friend called 911.

Training Discussion
At this particular incident,  an underwater search and rescue operation  was deemed not feasible given the high surf conditions.  

Discussion
If the surf conditions permitted an underwater search and, this incident was handled by the LAFD, answer the following questions:

• What actions and considerations would the first arriving dive team take?

• What additional resources would be needed to assist in the search? 

• Given the pier as point last seen, what type of initial search pattern would be used and what patterns would be used to expand the search?

• What would be the anticipated drift of the victim?