Tourist nearly drowns in Mission Bay

A tourist was hospitalized in grave condition on Monday after nearly drowning in Mission Bay.

The man began slipping under the harbor waters shortly after 2:30 p.m. while trying to come to the aid of his niece, who herself was having trouble getting back to shore during a swim near the entrance to Fiesta Island, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

The woman wound up making it back to the beach on her own, but her uncle could not, SDFRD spokesman Maurice Luque said.

Hearing a radio dispatch about the emergency, a lifeguard who happened to be driving in the area hurried over to the bay, swam out to the stricken man, pulled him to shore and tried in vain to revive him.

An ambulance crew then took the victim, believed to be in his 50s, to UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest. Emergency-room personnel eventually were able to re-establish the man's heartbeat, but his chances for survival remained unclear, Luque said.