Man, 60, dies after rescue from rip currents

What should have been a fun day at an Indialantic beach turned to tragedy when a 60-year-old man, visiting from Michigan with his family, died Saturday after being pulled from rough surf.

At 2:31 p.m. Indialantic Police and Fire Departments responded to the call of a possible drowning, and were advised of several other people caught in rip currents in the 1400 block of South Miramar Ave.

A doctor who was jogging along the beach in that area at the time attempted to revive the victim with CPR, and police and fire personnel continued the effort when they arrived on scene, but the victim was pronounced dead at Holmes Regional Medical Center. As of press time the cause of death is undetermined, according to Indialantic Police Sergeant Mike Conner, as the Brevard Sheriff’s Office has opened a death investigation. No lifeguard was on duty as the fatality happened on a private beach behind a condominium, not at a main public park.

Sgt. Conner said that as they were performing CPR, the fire department had to rescue six other people, including the victim’s 16-year-old granddaughter, from the strong rip currents.

The rescues, which took place between Wave Crest Avenue and the 1400 block of South Miramar Ave., were just a fraction of the distress calls last weekend. On Sunday, lifeguards at beach parks were held over later in the day due to 70 rescues being performed on Sunday alone.

On social media, Indialantic Mayor Dave Berkman expressed his sympathy for the family of the victim and warned everyone to be careful because the rip tides are “extremely bad right now.”

The National Weather Service in Melbourne issued a High Rip Current Risk on both Saturday and Sunday that warned of “life threatening rip currents.”

“Rip currents are powerful channels of water flowing quickly away from shore, which occur most often at low spots or breaks in the sandbar and in the vicinity of structures such as jetties and piers,” NWS said in a statement. “Heed the advice of lifeguards … beach patrol flags and signs.”

They also advised beachgoers to swim near a lifeguard and said if anyone finds themselves trapped in a rip current, don’t swim against it – instead “relax and float.” If capable, they advise people to “swim in a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.”

Conner said rescuers were spread out this weekend, with multiple rescues occurring over the weekend.

On Sunday, Brevard County Fire Rescue and Brevard County Ocean Rescue advised people to stay out of the water in the beaches around Patrick Air Force Base due to rip currents.

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