The boat was found near the 5300 block of Palos Verdes Drive around 8:40 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Authorities were searching for several other people who may have been on the boat. Aerial footage from AIR7 HD showed a large law enforcement presence at the scene.
Customs and Border Protection officials say its the latest dangerous incident involving human cargo off the California coastline.
Two months ago in San Diego, three people died and several others were hospitalized on a shipwrecked vessel smuggling people into the U.S.