A 27-year-old man vacationing from Chicago almost drowned while he was surfing in Venice Beach on Thursday.

The incident happened about 6 p.m. in the 2100 block of Ocean Boulevard while the man was body surfing with three friends, said Capt. Rex Vilaubi, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

When the unidentified man was pulled from the water by a friend, he did not have a pulse. Lifeguards immediately started CPR, Vilaubi said.

The man was not breathing for more than 10 minutes, Vilaubi said.


On the way to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, the man regained a pulse, Vilaubi said.

The man’s current condition is unknown.

Vilaubi commended the lifeguards and others for taking quick action that led to saving the man’s life.

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