The body of a teenager who disappeared under the water while swimming near the Back River on Tybee Island on Friday morning was recovered hours later by search and rescue divers, authorities said.
Despite green flag conditions, Tybee Island police responded to the Inlet Avenue beach access just before 11 a.m. after someone reported seeing swimmers in distress, the department said. Officials learned that three people, including two 16-year-olds, had been in the water in an area where Tybee Creek meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Family members noticed the swimmers had begun to show signs of distress and, with the help of other beachgoers, were able to rescue two of them, according to authorities. One of the teens was last seen disappearing under the water and did not resurface within view, according to police.
The teen’s body was recovered just before 3:30 p.m. by the Chatham County police dive team, authorities said. He was identified as Laquvis McCray, of Atlanta, by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Although the local lifeguard service reported benign conditions at Tybee Island’s beaches Friday morning, the tidal conditions around the island’s southern beaches are fraught with danger, according to local authorities.
“Even when the water looks calm, the current can be shockingly strong — so much so that there has been one drowning per year in this area, despite the efforts of Ocean Rescue,” Tybee’s city website says.
Police received the call about the distressed swimmers about three hours after high tide, when the outrushing tidal current would be at its strongest. Local authorities had enlisted the help of the U.S. Coast Guard, Chatham County Marine Patrol and the Marine Rescue Squadron during the search.
Rip currents are the most dangerous threat to swimmers at U.S. beaches, accounting for 80% of rescues and 100 deaths nationwide each year, according to the U.S. Lifesaving Association. Last month, six people drowned in rip currents over the course of two days in Florida, including a husband and wife on vacation with their six children.
If caught in a rip current or tidal current, it’s vital to stay calm, according to the National Weather Service. Fighting the current or panicking can quickly exhaust even the strongest swimmers. Instead, relax and tread water, swimming parallel to the shore, if possible. Yell and wave for assistance if you feel you can’t reach shore.
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