By Lookout Staff

June 6, 2012 -- A man's body was found early Tuesday morning by the shoreline at Santa Monica Beach near the Venice border.

The man, who police believe was between his late thirties or early fifties, was wearing "beach shorts and a cycle-type shirt," said Sgt. Richard Lewis, the Police Department spokesman.

The body was laying face down in the surf, according to police.

"There were no obvious signs of foul play," Lewis said.

Following the standard procedure for all death investigations in Santa Monica, robbery-homicide detectives are handling the case, police said.

A passerby alerted a Santa Monica parking enforcement officer at around 5:30 a.m. that there was a body on the beach near the lifeguard tower at Nielsen Way and Marine Street, police said.

Police are waiting for the Coroner to conduct an autopsy, which could be as early as Wednesday, to determine the cause of death.

The man's identity has not been released.