Stone Romberg, a metro Atlanta native who worked at Carillon Beach, died over the weekend after a current pulled him away from shore in the Gulf near his Florida home. His death followed an attempt to help a seagull tangled in his fishing line. He leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.
Family and friends told WSB-TV that Romberg was fishing at Carillon Beach in Laguna Beach, Florida, Sunday afternoon when a seagull became caught in his line. They said he went into the water to free it, but the hook and bird caught on his hand. WSB-TV reported that a current pulled him away as he tried to return to shore and that he drowned.
The timing and location differ between accounts. The News Herald reported that Romberg was fishing with friends near Philips Inlet on October 26 when a bird became tangled in his line, rather than placing the incident at Carillon Beach on Sunday afternoon as WSB-TV did.
A Beloved Figure in His Florida Community
Romberg managed beach services at Carillon Beach, WSB-TV reported. Coworkers’ tributes, as recounted by the station, emphasized the care he showed people around him and the mark he made at work. The station also reported that people in the Florida community remembered him as a devoted husband and father.
He leaves behind a wife and two young daughters, ages 1 and 3. His father, Gerry Romberg, is the varsity assistant football coach at St. Pius X Catholic School back in metro Atlanta, the outlet reported.
Conflicting Reports on Fundraising Totals
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help offset the family's hospital bills and funeral costs. WSB-TV reported the campaign had already raised more than $80,000, while the News Herald reported a different figure, putting the total at $15,455 toward a $24,000 goal. The discrepancy between the two tallies has not been resolved.
How Rip Currents Turn Deadly
Rip currents can move at speeds up to eight feet per second, fast enough to overpower even strong swimmers, according to safety guidance reported by the Pensacola News Journal. Experts advise that anyone caught in one should not fight the current, but instead stay calm and float or tread water while it carries them, then attempt to swim parallel to shore until clear of it. That guidance followed a stretch of Panhandle beaches issuing rip current forecasts after two drownings at two Florida beaches within a single week earlier this year.
Rip-current warnings and rescue guidance
The National Weather Service’s Tallahassee office reports 227 rip-current fatalities since 2002 on beaches covered by its Tallahassee and Mobile offices. The agency advises bystanders who see someone in trouble not to enter the water: call for help and, if no lifeguard is available, throw the person something that floats, according to the National Weather Service.
Bay County’s beach-safety guidance says one red flag warns of high surf or dangerous currents, while two red flags mean the water is closed to swimming. The county also offers text alerts when beach flags change; sign up by texting “PCBFLAGS” to 888777, according to Bay County.
Romberg's death is one of several drownings this year tied to people trying to help someone or something else in the water. In August, a swimmer in Myrtle Beach drowned after getting a girl to safety and then being caught in a rip current while lifeguards were off duty, according to WLTX. In April, two people died at Cocoa Beach after becoming distressed while trying to save a child swept away by a rip current, Fox Weather reported.
The National Weather Service tracks surf-zone fatalities nationwide each year, though the agency cautions that its 2026 data remains preliminary and that fatality locations are approximate.
