Multiple agencies search for missing swimmer in Micklers Beach area

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County Fire Rescue said multiple agencies are searching for a missing swimmer in the area of Micklers Beach Sunday afternoon.

RELATED: A letter to our viewers: Please stay out of the ocean as deadly rip currents loom Atlantic Coast

Officials identified the missing swimmer as a 20-year-old man who was last seen in the water wearing black swimming trucks.

The swimmer has been missing since around 1:45 p.m., and first responders have been searching for him since 2:15 p.m.

“He was last seen in the water just north of Michaels so with our search patterns and the drift and the current, it could be anywhere north or south of here,” Chris Naff of the St. Johns County Fire Rescue said.

Officials said multiple agencies are involved in the search and urged people to avoid the area to allow first responders to do their work.

Naff said they plan to be out searching until nightfall.

This is a developing story.

Two people were transported to local hospitals in critical condition Sunday afternoon after being pulled from the ocean in Ponte Vedra Beach and Hanna Park.

RELATED | ‘Pulling people out left and right’: 2 people in critical condition after near-drowning incidents in SJC, Hanna Park

“If you can get a message out to the public to stay out of the water, we are pulling people out left and right,” an SJC Fire Rescue spokesperson told News4JAX.

On Saturday, the Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue Division urged beachgoers to stay out of the water amid dangerous ocean conditions expected throughout the weekend.

The National Weather Service Jacksonville office issued a High Rip Current Risk for Duval County through the weekend.

According to SJC Fire Rescue, beaches were being closed in the southern part of the county due to the high rip currents.

If you have any information regarding the missing swimmer please call 911 immediately.