VOLUSIA COUNTY,, Fla. — UPDATE: 9:46 p.m.: A massive search is underway for a 17-year-old Orlando boy who went missing after he and a friend were caught in a rip current Friday evening, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and Volusia County Beach Safety.
Beach Safety said the call came in at 7:36 p.m. The teen and a friend were swimming when they became caught in the rip current. Officials said the friend was rescued, but the 17-year-old remains missing.
As of about 9:30 p.m., the search included 18 lifeguards in the water, two Jet Skis, a rescue vessel using sonar, two paddleboards, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission vessel, and a Volusia County Sheriff’s Office helicopter and drone. The U.S. Coast Guard was also responding to assist.
Beach Safety officials said conditions became too dangerous to keep lifeguards in the water because of the red flag conditions and strong rip currents.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Deputies are searching for a reported missing swimmer in Daytona Beach, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office said it is assisting in the search.
The search comes just hours after a separate drowning claimed the life of a 60-year-old Daytona Beach man who was pulled from the ocean Friday afternoon.
In a social media post Friday evening, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood urged beachgoers to swim only in front of lifeguards. According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, lifeguards rescued nearly 200 people from the water on Friday alone because of dangerous rip currents.
“If you’re caught in a rip, don’t panic, conserve your energy and swim parallel to shore until you’re out of it,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Channel 9 has a crew at the scene and has also reached out to Volusia County Beach Safety for additional information.
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