A 36-year-old man drowned off the beach in Nags Head, North Carolina, Thursday. He was the fourth person to drown off the state’s beaches this week as officials warned of rough surf and rip currents.
On Monday, a 28-year-old woman from Washington D.C. died in rough waves off Avon, part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
A 68-year-old Ohio man died in rough surf on southern Hatteras Island Tuesday morning, according to officials with Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
A teenager fishing with a casting net drowned off North Topsail Beach on Monday.
Officials say rough surf and rip currents from the remnants of Franklin and Idalia made the ocean particularly treacherous this week.
“Visitors wading into the surf, even as shallow as waist deep, may be overcome by large waves, suffer injuries, and may be overtaken by rough ocean conditions making it difficult, if not impossible, for all but the strongest, most experienced swimmers to survive,” said David Hallac, superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, with includes Cape Hatteras.
Three of the drowning deaths were on the Outer Banks, which saw particularly rough seas from the storms.
“While you may see surfers seemingly effortlessly riding the waves, do not be tempted to enter the ocean during these hazardous conditions,” Hallac said. “The majority of surfers at Cape Hatteras National Seashore are competent athletes that have developed significant skills and experience or time to engage in their sport.”
He suggested that when the ocean looks rough, visitors could spend time in the water at beaches on the sounds side, including at the Haulover, Salvo and Devil Shoals Road accesses.
The latest victim was pulled from the water by life guards near the Nags Head Pier at about 5:50 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Town of Nags Head.
On Labor Day, park officials said a woman was found unresponsive at about 2:30 p.m. in Avon, North Carolina, a village on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
A witness said the “woman was overtaken by strong waves and disappeared in the surf,” according to the National Parks Service.
“Shortly after disappearing in the surf, the victim was observed face-down in rough ocean conditions,” the Parks Service said in a news release.
The next day, park officials said they got a 911 call at about 10:30 a.m. after two bystanders pulled the unresponsive man from the surf. The man was visiting from Hillsboro, Ohio, according to a news release.