On Saturday, Sept. 23 at about 10 a.m. San Diego Lifeguards were contacted by a group of divers who said that one of the group was missing – a 66-year-old male. The man had joined a freediving group for a session around 9 a.m., in which he was instructed that the group would head out past the surf and collectively dive. Once the group got out past the break, then returned, the man was not to be seen. “We started going through the motions we would typically go to in a ‘Code X’ or submersion rescue,” said Lt. Rich Stropky of SD Lifeguards. “We searched for an hour with helicopters and SD Fire-Rescue. Eventually, we were able to locate the man, who was not in distress. He had purposely separated from the group and was freediving about half a mile from shore.” Stropky added that it is not a wise idea to separate from a group when out diving. “We are glad to have located the man without injury, as this helps us stay sharp for inevitable future rescues,” he said.