PACIFICA — The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday evening suspended its search for a man who reportedly went swimming at Rockaway Beach earlier in the day and never made it out of the ocean.

Pacifica police identified the man as 28-year-old Tyler Collins, of Merced.

Authorities said Collins was with a small group of friends at Rockaway Beach about 3:35 a.m. when he and another man “decided to go into the surf.” The pair were about 50 feet from shore when their friends realized one of them was no longer visible.

The group reported Collins missing about 4:20 a.m. after searching the beach and the surrounding area for him.

Pacifica police officers and North County Fire Authority firefighters were dispatched to the scene. When they couldn’t find Collins, they contacted the Coast Guard, which responded with a boat and a helicopter.

The Coast Guard spent 15 hours scouring 66 square miles before calling it quits about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Police described Collins as 5 feet 7 inches tall and 160 pounds with brown hair. He was last seen wearing black boxer shorts.

Jordan Akiyama, a petty officer third class with the Coast Guard, said the swimmer who made it back to shore reported a strong undercurrent at the time Collins went missing.

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