A 35-year-old man apparently drowned Saturday at Carmel Beach after he was caught in a riptide while swimming, authorities said.

The victim's identity was not released, pending notification of next of kin, police said. Sgt. Paul Tomasi of the Carmel Police Department said the man was a member of a church group visiting from San Jose.

"Two members of the group decided to go swimming, and it sounds like he might have been caught in a riptide," Tomasi said. "He got pulled out, couldn't swim against the currents, and his group lost sight of him."

The man's body was not recovered. An extensive search, which began about 1 p.m. and ended at about 4 p.m., included Carmel Police, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, Carmel Fire and Ambulance, the Mount Carmel Fire Department, a Coast Guard cutter and helicopter, and divers from the California State Parks Department. The Met Life airship, which was in the area with CBS TV to cover the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, helped with the search.

Dangerous surf warnings were posted at several beach entrances.

Tomasi said it is the first drowning at Carmel Beach in five years, and the first in Monterey County since a surfer drowned at Ghost Tree, near Pebble Beach, in 2008.

Dennis Taylor can be reached at [email protected] or 646-4344.