HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Two men died after being caught in a rip current off the coast of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on Friday, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers received a call at 10:28 a.m. Friday about a possible drowning.
When deputies arrived on scene, Coast Guard personnel and emergency medical personnel were administering CPR to the 65-year-old man, who later died, said Capt. William Angelo of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The second death occurred on Friday at 3:22 p.m.
When police arrived on scene, life-saving measures were being administered to a 73-year-old man who appeared to have drowned. He also died.
“It appears they both got caught in a rip current,” Angelo said.
Hurricane Ernesto continues to rage in the Atlantic Ocean this week, with beaches up and down the East Coast on alert for rip currents.
The risk of rip currents on Hilton Head Island was high Friday and is expected to remain high Saturday, with waves expected to reach three to four feet high, according to the National Weather Service.
For anyone thinking about hitting the beaches of Hilton Head this weekend, Angelo offered this advice:
“Watch out for beach patrol, and if they tell you to swim in a certain area, swim in that area,” he said. “Know your swimming limits, and if you get caught in a rip current, instead of trying to get back to shore, just go with the current and try to swim parallel to the shore, and hopefully you’ll get out of the rip current area.”
