Swimmers struggling in waters off NC rescued by Coast Guard member on beach trip
Three men were in the waters off North Carolina when they got caught in a rip current and struggled to swim on Sunday afternoon, officials said.
Luckily, the tense situation caught the eye of a beachgoer whose sister served in the U.S. Coast Guard, spokesperson Lt. John Packard said in a phone interview.
When Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Williamson spotted the swimmers in distress she rushed into the water, she told McClatchy News.
“She immediately just jumped into action,” Packard said. “She started running out to the water. She grabbed a boogie board that she found on shore. And basically whenshe was in the deeper water, she used the boogie board to get out to them.”
Williamson said she soon reached the men, who were having trouble staying afloat.
She told the group to avoid swimming against the rip current and helped each man get about 100 to 150 yards back to shore. As they made their way to land, the swimmer who had been struggling the most coughed up water, officials said.
But after relaxing, the Coast Guard said the rescued men ended up being OK.
It turns out Williamson wasn’t working that day and had just been visiting the beach with friends and family. She told McClatchy News she joined the Coast Guard almost 10 years ago to help people.
“What occurred that day was a normal day-to-day thing or a typical response for me being on duty,” she said. “I respond to cases of people in the water quite a bit or capsized boats.”
The whole ordeal happened at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, which includes almost 6 miles of beachfront. The park is in southeastern North Carolina and roughly 20 miles from Wilmington.
Over the weekend, the National Weather Service had warned of rip current risks from Tropical Storm Ana. Forecasters urged swimmers to stay out of the waters along the North Carolina coast on Sunday.
Rip currents are channels of water that can pull swimmers away from shore. If you get caught in one, it’s best to stay calm and swim parallel to the shoreline until you get out of the current, McClatchy News reported.
“I think it was great that (a Coast Guard member) was out there at the right place, at the right time to be able to assist in this,” Packard said. “She took it upon herself to go make this rescue herself. She relied upon her experience in the Coast Guard as well as her strong swimming abilities to be able to help these three gentlemen out.”
This story was originally published May 26, 2021 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Swimmers struggling in waters off NC rescued by Coast Guard member on beach trip."
