Swimmer in his 50s dies after rip current drags two out to sea, Oregon rescuers say

A swimmer in his 50s died but a teenage girl survived after rip currents swept both into the Pacific Ocean from a Seaside beach, Oregon rescuers reported.

Lifeguards and other swimmers were trying to rescue the two when Seaside Fire & Rescue units arrived at 2:33 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, a city news release said.

Rescuers on JetSkis helped bring both back to the beach, but could not revive the unconscious man, the release said. He was later pronounced dead.

About two hours later, two other swimmers were rescued at a nearby beach, firefighters said.

A 27-year-old woman told rescuers “they were in waist-deep water one minute and struggling in water over their heads the next,” the release said.

Seaside Fire & Rescue units performed at least 16 ocean rescues over the weekend, a Facebook post reported.

“We are experiencing currently, really warm temperatures in the water so people are going out farther,” Genesee Dennis with Seaside Fire & Rescue told KPTV. “They are getting braver and getting into situations that, otherwise, if the water was cold, they would not.”

“PLEASE stay shallow and check in with a lifeguard to find out where the safer areas are to play in the water,” rescuers wrote on Facebook.

Seaside is a city of about 7,000 people on the Oregon coast about 80 miles northwest of Portland.

This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Swimmer in his 50s dies after rip current drags two out to sea, Oregon rescuers say."