Two tourists dead, multiple people rescued as dangerous surf pounds Florida Panhandle

Two men have died and multiple people have been rescued from the Gulf of Mexico as deadly rip currents continue to grip Florida’s Panhandle, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

The deaths occurred over a three-day period and involved men visiting from Texas and Tennessee, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The first occurred Thursday, June 22, off Blue Mountain Beach.

“Beach patrons notified (the) lifeguard that bystanders had pulled the male, who was unresponsive, from the water nearly half a mile to the west,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The lifeguard quickly responded to the area and began life-saving measures. Additional beach safety units arrived along with Walton County Sheriff’s Office deputies to assist. Unfortunately, the 65-year-old from Coppell, Texas later died.”

The second death occurred Saturday, June 24, when two men sprang into action to rescue a family member in the water, the South Walton Fire District reported.

“A teenage male had been struggling in the water and members of his family had entered the water to attempt to rescue him,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Lifeguards and deputies then entered the water and found two adult men were unresponsive and required resuscitation. The teenage male was in stable condition but required further medical attention. Deputies and lifeguards then worked to bring all patients to shore and began rendering lifesaving care to the two unresponsive patients.”

All three were taken to a hospital where “a 58-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee was pronounced dead,” officials said.

The deaths occurred under red flag conditions, officials said, meaning swimming was considered a “high hazard.”

Surf off Walton County’s beaches was deemed dangerous on multiple days last week, resulting in officials forbidding people to swim.

“Surf conditions prompted double red flags for several days on Walton County Beaches during which both South Walton Fire District and Walton County Sheriff’s Office responded to numerous water rescues,” officials said.

An exact number of water rescues was not released.

Neighboring Bay County reports Christopher Pierce, 47, of Alabama, died on Father’s Day when he jumped into the Gulf of Mexico to save his daughter from a deadly rip current. His daughter survived, officials said.

This story was originally published June 26, 2023 at 5:28 AM with the headline "Two tourists dead, multiple people rescued as dangerous surf pounds Florida Panhandle."