75-year-old dies in rip current at Outer Banks beach, North Carolina officials say
A 75-year-old man got caught in a rip current and died over the weekend at North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
The New York man was swimming in the ocean at Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Saturday afternoon with another person when he got caught in a rip current, according to a release from the National Park Service.
He tried to get to safety but passed out, and the other swimmer and bystanders pulled him from the water and called 911, the release said.
National Park Service rangers, Dare County EMS and Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue responded, but the man died, according to the release.
Officials don’t know how he died yet, the release said, and a medical examination will be performed.
This is the third “water-related fatality” at Cape Hatteras this year, the release said.
Last year there were five fatalities, and the year before there were seven, according to the release.
There was a moderate risk of rip currents for all of the Outer Banks on Saturday, the release said, meaning that “wind and/or wave conditions support stronger or more frequent rip currents” and “only experienced surf swimmers should enter the surf.”
If you get caught in a rip current, don’t try to swim out of it toward the shore, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.
The best thing to do is float and call and wave for help or swim parallel to the shore, out of the rip current, and then “follow breaking waves back to shore at an angle,” NOAA says.
If someone else gets caught in a rip current, the best thing to do is throw them a float and get a lifeguard to help, NOAA says.
It’s also important to check forecasts before getting in the water and to listen to officials, according to NOAA.
The 75-year-old’s name has not been released.
“Our staff offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends,” said National Parks of Eastern North Carolina Superintendent David Hallac in the release.
This story was originally published September 29, 2019 at 11:39 AM with the headline "75-year-old dies in rip current at Outer Banks beach, North Carolina officials say."
