Two children believed to be between 11 and 13 years old, along with one adult, were pulled from the ocean near Ocean City's 19th Street on Friday morning after getting caught in a dangerous rip current roughly 100 to 150 yards offshore. Ocean City firefighters were dispatched at about 9:13 a.m. following reports of multiple swimmers in distress, and all three were later evaluated, with two declining further medical treatment and one taken for additional evaluation in stable condition.
According to Fox Baltimore, the swimmers were close together and exhausted by the time crews reached them. Ocean City Fire Department rescue swimmers entered the water to begin lifesaving measures, and two of the three were brought directly back to shore. A Maryland Natural Resources Police vessel pulled the third person aboard, according to WBAL-TV.
The response drew in more than just fire crews. The incident commander called for backup from Maryland State Police Aviation and the Ocean City Police Department's drone unit, Fox Baltimore reports, though the State Police helicopter, Trooper 4, deployed and was later canceled. The station also notes that rescue swimmers were assisted by Maryland State Police aviation and Ocean City police drone units as the operation unfolded.
Officials Warn Sandbars Can Mask Real Danger
Incident Commander Derrick Simpson stressed that conditions at the shoreline can shift without warning. “Just because you can see or stand on a sandbar does not mean you are safe,” he said, per the same WBAL-TV account. Officials tied the hazard directly to breaks in a sandbar created by the recent nor'easter, which they said are producing strong and dangerous rip currents along the shoreline.
Compounding the risk is the calendar: Ocean City Beach Patrol is off duty for the season, the station notes, leaving the beach without lifeguards during a stretch when the surf is especially unpredictable. Following the rescue, officials issued a swimming advisory urging beachgoers to avoid the water given the dangerous conditions and elevated rip current risk.
Storm Aftermath Still Reshaping the Shoreline
The rip currents trace back to a nor'easter that battered Maryland's Eastern Shore just days earlier. Ocean City crews began cleanup after that storm brought 52 mph wind gusts, beach erosion and flooding, according to the Baltimore Sun, which also reported that storm debris and damaged dune fencing were left littering the beach in the aftermath.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has since stepped in to address the damage, awarding a $25.7 million contract to rebuild the Ocean City beach. Per DVIDS, Ocean City's beaches are generally renourished every four years and have undergone seven such projects since construction was completed in 1994. The Army Corps estimates the broader coastal protection project has prevented more than $927 million in storm damage since construction began in 1990.
For now, officials are focused on keeping people out of the water rather than rebuilding the shore. As CBS Baltimore reported on the same rescue, fire officials warned that sandbars, rip currents and changing tides can create dangerous conditions with little warning, and cautioned swimmers to stay out of the water whenever trained lifeguards aren't on duty.
