Rip Current — Escambia, Florida

2002-08-04 · near Inerarity Pt, Escambia, Florida

Event narrative

A 54 year old Louisiana man died after he and his two grandchildren were pulled from rough surf at Perdido State Park. The surf was churned up by an area of low pressure moving across the Gulf that later became Tropical Storm Bertha. The drowning occurred along an isolated spot of the beach where there are no life guards and no flag system is in place. The man's grandchildren got into trouble in the strong rip currents produced by the rough surf. He jumped into the water to rescue them and drowned in the rough water. Another family was able to eventually get all three ashore, but the man died.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5314723. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.