Paul Carbullido Jr. was found alive off Seal Beach after spending the night floating in the Pacific while wearing a life vest.
LONG BEACH, Calif. — A 53-year-old Long Beach man survived nearly 16 hours in the Pacific Ocean after falling from a personal watercraft Sunday evening, enduring the night in a life vest before a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew located and rescued him Monday morning.
Paul Anthony Carbullido Jr. was found roughly 2.5 to 3 miles south of Seal Beach Pier after an overnight search involving the Coast Guard, Long Beach firefighters and police. He was suffering from hypothermia but was alive and able to communicate when rescuers reached him. The rescue ended a search that began after Carbullido and a woman riding with his group were reported missing Sunday night.
Long Beach police said Carbullido was last seen at about 7 p.m. Aug. 16 in the Pacific Ocean east of the Queen’s Gate Entrance Channel after becoming separated from a personal watercraft. Carbullido later told CBS Los Angeles that it was his first time operating one and that his group headed onto the water as daylight was fading. He said he hit a wave about a mile from shore and was thrown from the watercraft.
Donna Dubray, a friend and co-worker who was riding nearby, told local television stations that she saw Carbullido fall into the water. She entered the water to help him but was unable to get him back onto a personal watercraft as conditions became more difficult. Dubray said Carbullido was worried about sharks while they were in the water. She eventually decided to swim toward the Long Beach breakwater to seek help as Carbullido drifted farther away.
Authorities received reports of the missing riders around 10 p.m., according to Long Beach Fire Department officials cited by CBS Los Angeles. About 30 minutes later, a boater heard Dubray calling for help near the breakwater. Lifeguards rescued her, and she was evaluated before being taken for medical care. The discovery confirmed that another rider remained missing in the ocean, prompting crews to continue searching through the night.
Search teams later located both personal watercraft in open water, but Carbullido was nowhere nearby. Fire boats, law enforcement vessels and a Coast Guard helicopter continued looking for him. Police issued an at-risk missing-person alert early Monday, saying Carbullido had last been seen after becoming separated from the watercraft. The alert described him and asked the public for information as the maritime search continued.
Carbullido said his life vest kept him afloat as darkness settled over the water. In an interview from his hospital bed, he described becoming increasingly cold and weak while drifting through the night. He recalled telling himself, “I don’t want to die drowning.” He also said he prayed as he waited and watched for signs that rescuers were getting closer. When daylight arrived, he could see vessels in the distance but remained far from immediate help.
The Coast Guard helicopter eventually spotted Carbullido late Monday morning. Reports placed the rescue at about 10:48 a.m., nearly 16 hours after police said he was last seen in the water. A rescue swimmer entered the ocean and helped bring him to the helicopter. Carbullido was then taken to shore for medical treatment. Local reports said his body temperature had fallen to 86 degrees, and he was treated for hypothermia.
The timing of the ordeal reflects two different measurements reported after the rescue. Carbullido spent close to 16 hours in the water from his separation from the personal watercraft Sunday evening until his rescue Monday morning. The organized search itself lasted closer to 13 hours because emergency crews were notified several hours after he was last seen. Reports also varied slightly on his rescue location, placing him about 2.5 to 3 miles from Seal Beach Pier.
After the rescue, Carbullido told CBS Los Angeles he felt an immediate sense of relief when the Coast Guard reached him. He was described as a husband and father of four and was recovering in a Long Beach hospital when he spoke publicly about the ordeal. His family also expressed gratitude toward the emergency crews involved in finding him. Dubray said she was relieved that her longtime friend survived after she had been forced to leave him behind to seek help.
Carbullido remained under medical care for hypothermia in the most recent public reporting reviewed after the rescue. Authorities have not reported that anyone else remained missing in connection with the incident. Both riders who had been reported missing were ultimately found alive, bringing the overnight search off Long Beach to an end.
Author note: Last updated August 21, 2026.