Swimmer dies of heart attack

A man Newport Beach lifeguards pulled from their water unconscious and not breathing Monday did not drown, but rather suffered a fatal heart attack, the county coroner said Wednesday.

For the last two days, lifeguards had been wondering if they had missed something, if they had been too late and let a man drown in their water, officials said.

While there is nothing good out of the fact that Charles Jasmine, 52, of Huntington Beach, died in their water, lifeguards had peace of mind knowing they did everything they could to save him, Capt. Boyd Mickley said. They had suspected, given what they saw during the rescue, that the man had a medical condition.

“Obviously, we wish that he were still alive and that we could have done something more,” Mickley said. “But sometimes everything you do just isn’t enough. It’s part of the job.”

Jasmine was spotted hanging on to a buoy used by junior lifeguards about 25 yards from the shore near B Street about 3:30 p.m. Monday when beachgoers alerted lifeguards Jasmine might have been in trouble.

Lifeguards had spotted him minutes earlier on the buoy but thought nothing of it because it’s a common occurrence for swimmers to hang on and climb them, said lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner.

When people on the sand alerted lifeguards that Jasmine was in trouble, they quickly swam out to help him, Turner said.

By the time Mickley and another lifeguard got out there, Jasmine was unconscious and floating face-up in the water, he said.

The two lifeguards swam Jasmine into shore and began CPR before paramedics arrived and took him to the hospital. Jasmine was pronounced dead soon after.