Large crowds lead to over 30 water rescues, drowning at Crab Island over Memorial Day weekend

Sierra Rains, Northwest Florida Daily News
·5 min read

One person drowned and more than 30 swimmers were rescued from the Gulf of Mexico over Memorial Day weekend.

First responders saw a large increase in calls in Destin, where a man drowned Sunday after strong currents at Crab Island swept him away while he was trying to repair a pontoon boat. Four people who jumped off the boat were rescued.

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There were 26 other calls for distressed swimmers in Okaloosa County, with Destin lifeguards performing 20 water rescues from Friday to Monday. Lifeguards in South Walton County rescued six people from the Gulf and one woman was hospitalized.

Destin Beach Safety Division Chief Joe D’Agostino said the number of rescues was slightly above average for the surf conditions. Yellow flags were flying in Walton and Okaloosa counties, indicating a moderate risk of rip currents, for most of the weekend.

“I don’t think it was record-breaking because we’ve rescued over 100 people in a day,” D’Agostino said. “This wasn’t our busiest by any stretch of the imagination, but it was still a busy weekend.”

Lifeguards save multiple lives

One visitor from Tennessee nearly drowned after getting caught in a possible rip current Saturday behind the Oceania hotel off Gulf Shore Drive in Destin. D’Agostino said a lifeguard saved the man’s life.

“He was unconscious and (the lifeguard) was able to paddle out, put him on a board and get him back to the beach,” D’Agostino said. “We were able to get a pulse back.”

The man initially was not breathing, but was resuscitated. He was then taken to an area hospital where he was last listed in stable condition with a good pulse that evening.

A bulk of the water rescues in Walton County occurred in Miramar Beach on Saturday when four people were pulled from the Gulf behind the Surf Hut restaurant off Scenic Gulf Drive.

One woman was reportedly speaking in short sentences while being taken back to shore. Her medical condition rapidly deteriorated and she was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Rip currents leave their mark along the shoreline in this aerial photograph taken near The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island. The energy from Incoming waves move back from the shoreline, carrying water, sand, and sometimes swimmers.
Rip currents leave their mark along the shoreline in this aerial photograph taken near The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island. The energy from Incoming waves move back from the shoreline, carrying water, sand, and sometimes swimmers.

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Two other people required medical attention after being rescued from the water over the weekend, South Walton Fire District Beach Safety Director David Vaughan said. SWFD lifeguards also made three public assists.

“Public assists can be, a lot of times they are what I call the equivalent of embarrassment therapy,” Vaughan said. “We see somebody at the beginning stages of getting themselves in trouble or starting to realize they’re in distress. We go out and we help them and they’re fine.”

A lifeguard assisted two boys who appeared to be having trouble swimming in the Gulf on Saturday. Vaughan said the situation could have quickly deteriorated if the guard hadn’t stepped in to help.

“If he hadn’t been there, it would have been really bad,” Vaughan said.

Nine more people were pulled from the Gulf on Tuesday morning as Memorial Day crowds lingered and flag warnings were switched to single red. Single-red flags indicate potentially life-threatening rip currents and dangerous surf conditions.

Beachgoers enjoy the Gulf of Mexico near The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island Tuesday. Bad weather and a long holiday weekend kept area lifeguards and other first responders busy with water rescues.
Beachgoers enjoy the Gulf of Mexico near The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island Tuesday. Bad weather and a long holiday weekend kept area lifeguards and other first responders busy with water rescues.

Memorial Day marks start of summer crowds

Memorial Day weekend typically marks the beginning of an influx of visitors, which lasts throughout the summer.

Record numbers of visitors have been in the area since the COVID-19 pandemic, and although it has lessened some this year, beach safety officials said the holiday weekend was about on par with the past few years.

“Last year was completely record breaking, even after COVID. We saw record-breaking revenue and we expected it to drop off,” Vaughan said. “We were expecting maybe some flattening for the beginning of the summer kick off, and that didn’t happen.”

Vaughan said any time that more people are on the beaches it becomes “a statistical game,” and often leads to more rescues. Still, the season has started out with fewer swimmer fatalities than last year.

Special red flags mark a portion of the beach near The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island where rip currents pose a threat. The red flags, which has a circle and cross over the image of a swimmer, are placed at both edges of the rip current area.
Special red flags mark a portion of the beach near The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island where rip currents pose a threat. The red flags, which has a circle and cross over the image of a swimmer, are placed at both edges of the rip current area.

Officials believe part of that is due to more people heeding beach flag warnings during the most dangerous conditions on double-red flag days. Most of the season so far has been under rough surf conditions.

Last year’s drownings early in the season spurred a push for more education on the beach flag system, and Vaughan said 2021 marked the “first real rollout” of a $500 penalty for entering the water on double-red flag days in Walton County.

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“The messaging is actually starting to work now, and the mood is better because as people were starting to roll into town and we had rough conditions, we had pretty good compliance,” he said. “What we’re seeing this year is kind of a reversion to that historical norm that when we go double-red, we typically don’t have to do as many water rescues because the water’s closed.”

As more people continue to flock to the beaches over the summer, visitors should remember to stay hydrated, wear sunscreen and to keep up with their normal medical routines.

SWFD lifeguards responded to four medical calls over the weekend. A number of medical calls on the beach can be attributed to people not keeping up with their medications, Vaughan said.

Beachgoers also should remember to swim near a lifeguard and be aware of their surroundings in the event of an emergency. If caught in a rip current, Vaughan said swimmers should swim parallel to the shore and keep calm to conserve their strength.

Beach flag conditions are posted daily on Walton and Okaloosa county websites and social media channels. D'Agostino said it is important to keep in mind that the Gulf can be extremely dangerous under any conditions for those who are not good swimmers.

“We’re seeing a lot of people going in the water that can’t swim,” D’Agostino said. “If you can’t swim from one side of a swimming pool to the other without touching the bottom, you have no business being in the Gulf of Mexico under any flag conditions.”

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Man drowns in Destin, 30 others rescued from Gulf Memorial Day weekend