The drowning death of prominent attorney Page Pate is demonstrating the dangers of currents in the ocean and inlets.
News4JAX records show at least 23 people have drowned in currents in our area since 2018.
Many of them were trying to save others — like the case of Pate, who was trying to save his son.
Lifeguards say currents are incredibly dangerous — in the ocean, of course — but they can be worse along inlets. And when someone is trying to save another person, it gets even riskier.
News4JAX spoke with Lt. Max Ervanian, a veteran guard with Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue. He talked about why we see so many cases where the rescuer ends up becoming the victim.
“One biggest reason why is because the rescuer is not a trained rescuer,” Ervanian said. “There’s a lot that goes into rescuing someone in distress in the water — whether you’re in a pool, a lake, a river, an ocean — a lot of factors play into it. And especially in inlets in the ocean and in rivers where you have strong currents, you have the shore break, you have impact zones, you have rip currents, you have to be able to navigate yourself through there. Then you have to be able to handle yourself and now somebody else’s life while you’re in that dangerous situation and then you need to bring them back.”
We’ve been out in strong currents before with lifeguards and floatation devices — and even then it’s difficult to get out. Guards stress you should swim parallel to shore if it’s a rip current and be sure not to panic.
But good Samaritans get in trouble because someone who is drowning can fight them, jump on them and unintentionally pull them under.
“I would recommend, as I tell people in these public education classes, you know, bring a surfboard, a paddle board, you know, even a boogie board, something that is going to withhold in the ocean. You know, a pool float, a pool noodle — those aren’t really those aren’t really safe,” Ervanian said. “You know, even if it’s a life jacket like a Coast Guard-approved Type III life jacket, those are going to be a lot more easier to help the victim float and you float than someone floating on, you know, a unicorn pool float that is not meant for the ocean.”
We keep records at News4JAX on drownings. In our area, from Southeast Georgia to Northeast Florida, we’ve seen two ocean or inlet drownings in 2022, three in 2021, four in 2020, three in 2019, and 11 in 2018.
Rescuers say many times people forget to call 911 when they try to save someone — when that should be the first thing they do.