Florida man dead in reported drowning at Edisto Beach on Sunday, local officials say

A Florida man died after being pulled from the ocean at Edisto Beach on Sunday afternoon, according to Colleton County Fire-Rescue Chief Barry McRoy.

Around 3:30 p.m., local and county agencies were dispatched to the 100 block of Palmetto Boulevard, nearby Coot’s Bar & Grill, in response to a report of a drowning.

Nick Valdez, 57, was swimming with friends when they turned around and found him under the water, Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey said Monday morning.

When an Emergency Medical Services team got to Valdez, he did not have a pulse but the team still attempted to revive the him, the coroner explained. EMS contacted an emergency room doctor who told the team to stop resuscitation efforts.

Harvey said it’s unclear whether the death was related to rip currents in the area. According to screenshots from the Edisto Beach live camera, a red flag — meaning high hazards due to strong surf and/or currents — was posted at Edisto Beach State Park, which is north of Coot’s Bar & Grill.

Results from an autopsy will identify what caused Valdez’s death, Harvey said.

The Florida man’s death on Edisto Beach comes less than a month after a 26-year-old Norwegian woman, Liv Andersen, died shortly after being rescued from the ocean near the 800 block of Palmetto Boulevard.

According to what was recounted to Harvey, Andersen was with another woman who was sunbathing when her friend looked up and couldn’t see Andersen, so she went down to the water and found an unresponsive Andersen.

As of Monday, Andersen’s cause of death has not yet been identified.

This is a developing story.