Search sus­pended for missing surfer

A search has been suspended for a surfer reported missing in the water near a Pacifica beach on Sunday, U.S. Coast Guard officials announced.

Personnel from Coast Guard Sector San Francisco responded to a report of a surfer facing down in the water about 100 yards away from Rockaway Beach shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday. A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco and a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Golden Gate responded to the scene.

Pacifica firefighters saw a person in a black wetsuit facing down in the water about 100 yards out from the shore but lost sight of the person roughly 10 minutes later, Coast Guard officials said. A surfboard found later in the area did not have information on its owner, according to Coast Guard officials.

A self-locating data marker buoy was deployed by Coast Guard crews, providing them with information on ocean currents near the beach to indicate where the surfer may have drifted, Coast Guard officials said.

The buoy continued to float through the ocean through an 18-square-mile area until the search was suspended shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday, according to Coast Guard officials. Crews from South San Francisco fire and Daly City police assisted during the search by setting up an incident command post and looking for the person while on shore.

People are advised to mark any recreational property with personal contact information that could aid emergency responders in the event of an emergency, Coast Guard officials said.