Swimmer died of heart attack, coroner says

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

For the past two days, lifeguards had been wondering whether they had been too late and let a man drown in their water, officials said. While there is nothing good about Charles Jasmine, 52, dying in their water, lifeguards have 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 Huntington Beach 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 be 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 to them, said lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner.

“We watched him, he didn’t seem to be showing any signs of distress,” Mickley said.

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

“We’re not thinking a swimmer in distress, we’re thinking a guy on top of a buoy who needs help,” Mickley said. “For us, this wasn’t just a swimmer in distress taking in water. This was a person above the water, conscious and coherent.”

When Mickley and another lifeguard arrived, Jasmine was unconscious and floating face-up, he said. The lifeguards swam Jasmine to shore and began CPR before paramedics took him to the hospital. Jasmine was pronounced dead soon after.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.