A day in the water off Grand Isle ended in tragedy yesterday afternoon when authorities recovered the body of a 17-year-old who had gone missing in the surf. Local police and U.S. Coast Guard crews searched the shoreline and near-shore Gulf waters after witnesses reported the teen had been swimming near the rocks when a strong current pulled him away from shore.
The Grand Isle police chief said officers responded to a reported drowning at about 2:11 p.m., and police later recovered the teen’s body, according to WVUE. The U.S. Coast Guard joined the response with both air and water assets, including a Station Grand Isle boat crew and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station New Orleans.
WDSU reports the teen had been playing in the water with friends when a rip current swept him past the rocks, triggering the search effort. The station says the Coast Guard launched a small boat from Station Grand Isle to work the shoreline during the operation.
Rip currents and safety
Rip currents are a regular hazard along the Gulf Coast and can carry even confident swimmers far from shore. NOAA warns that rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer and estimates they are responsible for about 100 deaths each year in the United States. If caught in one, NOAA advises staying calm, swimming parallel to the shoreline until out of the current, and signaling for help.
Authorities have not released the teen’s identity and describe the case as an ongoing investigation, WDSU reports. This story will be updated as officials release additional details.
