Leaders discuss water safety after several drownings in Beaufort County

by Cam McCann

HILTON HEAD, S.C. (WTOC) - A drowning on Hilton Head Island Thursday night makes number five in Beaufort County over the past couple months.

These tragic drownings have all held one thing in common: the time.

Lifeguards end their beach duty around 5 p.m., and become on-call for emergencies. These fatal incidents are happening during the on-call period, when help isn’t only a minute away.

Thursday at 7 p.m. Hilton Head’s 911 emergency center received a call about multiple people in distress near south beach marker 5, a son and a father.

Workers arrived shortly after and administered lifesaving efforts, the father was able to help save the life of his child, but was later pronounced dead.

“He passed a hero, saving his child,” said Mayor Alan Perry, Hilton Head Island. “But we never want to lose anybody. It’s a tell-tale sign that we’ve got to do a little bit more to have the warnings out, and we’re gonna work on that.”

An important warning people can look for are the flags on lifeguard posts, which indicate what the status of the ocean’s current is and the potential dangers in the water.

“I always like to look at the flags in the lifeguard stand, read out what the colors mean, make sure the tide’s not bad,” said Austin Fisk. “Don’t just run out straight in the water, make sure everything’s good.”

“If you’ve got little kids, follow them into the water, even teenagers, make certain,” said Perry.

One of the main things Mayor Perry highlighted as an important tip of going out later in the day is the buddy system.

“My recommendation to those coming into the beaches and not just here but anywhere along the beaches: have a buddy, have a friend,” said Perry. “Don’t just go by yourself.”

“No one can help you if you’re by yourself so have a buddy, communicate,” said Wentworth. “It might not even feel like it’s unsafe to you but stay safe.”

Another evening danger are the storms, which can completely disrupt the flow of the water at a moment’s notice.

“We’ve seen these storms pop up in the afternoons and that happens and the winds pick up, the waves pick up, the surge picks up and everything so you’ve just got to be careful, got to be aware,” said Perry.

Another surefire way to avoid any incidents is simply not going out deep while lifeguards are away from their posts.

In the words of Mayor Perry: ‘We all think we can handle it, until we can’t."

Safety Tips

According to the CDC, when swimming in natural waters always be aware of hidden hazards such as dangerous currents or waves, rocks or vegetation, and limited visibility.

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