Swimmer dies after rescue from waters off China Beach

Swimmer dies after rescue from waters off China BeachPhoto: Google Maps
Teresa Hammerl
Published on July 01, 2020

A swimmer died Wednesday afternoon after they were rescued from the waters off of China Beach, San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Lt. Jonathan Baxter said.

Officials wrote on Twitter that the swimmer was rescued by the Coast Guard and SFFD Marine units around 2 p.m. The rescuers performed CPR but the swimmer did not survive.

No details about the identity of the swimmer were immediately available.

It's not the first incident involving a swimmer in the last few weeks in the area. As we reported last month, five teenagers in distress were rescued from the water at Ocean Beach, and just a week before that, a 31-year-old man died after he was caught in a current and carried out to sea at Ocean Beach.

Baxter reminds beachgoers to "follow safe beach and ocean practices to protect yourself and your family this summer." Swimmers should be aware of rip currents, avoid isolation and avoid low visibility water, and beachgoers should never turn their back to the ocean.

As we reported previously, to get out of a rip current, swimmers should swim parallel to shore to escape the current, then paddle back to shore once they've broken free. As long as a swimmer knows what to do, has enough energy and can suppress a panic response, the odds are in their favor.