VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Three people were pulled from rip currents on Friday off Daytona Beach, according to Volusia Beach Safety.
Officials said the three were rescued near the 1600 block of Daytona Beach.
One person who was pulled from the ocean was unresponsive and CPR was performed.
The three were taken to the hospital, but one of them later died. The conditions of the other two have not been released.
Strong rip currents have been seen on the Atlantic coast during the last week. Over Memorial Day weekend, there were 299 people rescued from the ocean in Volusia County.
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Volusia Beach Safety says three people were taken to the hospital just a little bit ago in the 1600 Block of A1A of Daytona Beach - one was found unresponsive in the water. Others on beach tried to help. Not swimming in front of lifeguards. @news6wkmg
— Molly Reed (@Mollyreednews) June 2, 2023
News 6 meteorologist Jonathan Kegges said that even the best swimmers can get sucked out by rip currents due to their strength.
“When you get a weather system to help induce that easterly breeze, that on-shore flow, that’s when that rip current risk becomes really, really high — even higher than what it is on a daily basis,” Kegges said.
Meanwhile, Lucie Shortt visited the beach on Friday and told News 6 that she’s avoiding the deep water to stay safe from those currents.
“We knew how to watch and see where they were, and we were not allowed to go further than our knees in the water...” Shortt said. “I’m not going in the ocean. I’m just going to tip-toe.”
WHAT TO DO IN A RIP CURRENT
If you do find yourself caught in a rip current, the first step is to not panic and try to swim against the current. Turn on your back and float for a few seconds and try and alert people on the beach.
Next, start swimming parallel to the coastline until you begin to feel the pull relax.
From there, start swimming back to shore at an angle. Many panicked swimmers try swimming straight back to shore. That causes them to swim against the current, which increases their risk of drowning due to fatigue.
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