Latest news with #beachsafety
BBC News
2 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Coastguard warns to fill sand holes dug at beaches
Islanders are being reminded by the Coastguard to fill any large holes they dig in the sand at the beach before Coastguard said digging holes posed "a safety risk" to others and could end in a month, the UK Coastguard said a teenager had been "extremely lucky" not to have suffocated after being buried 7ft (about 2m) deep in said: "These holes can collapse without warning, potentially trapping or injuring people. There have been tragic incidents in the UK, including fatalities, where individuals were buried under sand after holes collapsed." The Coastguard added the holes could become dangerous when left unattended or "obscured by shifting tides"."Our advice is to be respectful of other beach users and always fill in any holes you have dug before leaving the beach," it said.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Heartbreaking new details revealed in Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death
More details are emerging regarding Malcolm-Jamal Warner's tragic drowning death. The actor died this weekend after being 'caught by a high current' at Costa Rica's Playa Grande beach in Cahuita, Limón, while on a family vacation. Lifeguards were 'not present' at the time — despite patrolling there 'over the last few years' — due to a 'lack of resources,' according to the Caribbean Guard, Costa Rica's volunteer lifeguard association. In a Facebook statement shared Monday, the organization called Playa Grande a 'challenging' beach with signs in both English and Spanish warning of drowning risk. However, 'due to recent aquatic incidents in Playa Negra,' the Caribbean Guard had 'redirected resources there and to Chiquita, another iconic beach known for its strong currents.' The statement claimed that Warner's drowning 'happened very quickly,' noting, 'Although there were people on the beach who entered the water to rescue him, they did not arrive in time.' The Caribbean Guard continued, 'He was pulled from underwater without vital signs, and despite CPR maneuvers being performed on the beach, resuscitation was unsuccessful.' The Costa Rican Red Cross similarly revealed to People on Monday that three ambulances arrived at Playa Grande on Sunday after a 2:10 p.m. report about a 'water-related' incident. 'Two people were dragged by a water current at the beach' and were out by the time paramedics showed up, with Warner declared dead at the scene following CPR. As for the second individual, the unidentified man treated alongside the 54-year-old 'Cosby Show' alum is in critical condition. The Judicial Investigation Agency also confirmed to the outlet that Warner was declared 'lifeless at the scene.' News broke of Warner's drowning on Monday, hours after a woman named Kimara, appearing to be his cousin, tweeted about her heartbreak. 'My cousin died yesterday after drowning in costa rica,' she wrote via X. 'Yall pls be safe out here while traveling and doing water sports. Wear life jackets etc.' Warner is survived by a wife and daughter, whose identities he has kept private over the years. In addition to playing Theodore Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show,' the Emmy nominee is best known for his roles in 'Malcolm & Eddie, 'Reed Between the Lines' and 'The Resident.'
Fox News
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Deadly rip current fatalities reported amid summer beach season as experts weigh in
With many people soaking up the sun at beaches this summer, recent drownings have been raising awareness about the best practices when encountering a rip current – also widely known as a riptide. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his portrayal of Theo Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," was on a family vacation in Costa Rica when he tragically passed away. Currents pulled Warner, 54, into the waters on July 20. People jumped in to rescue him, yet first responders were unable to revive him, Fox News Digital previously reported. Last week, a decorated former police officer and ex-Baltimore Orioles minor league player tragically drowned in an attempt to save a family in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Chase Childers heroically dove into the water after witnessing four people struggling. Childers was swept away due to the rip current, resulting in his death, Fox News Digital reported. Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Eric Cespedes drowned on July 11 while visiting South Padre Island, Texas. He was rescuing his children from a current but then was pulled under the water himself, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. There have already been 36 deaths reported so far this year, according to the National Weather Service. Chris Brewster of the United States Lifesaving Association told Fox News Digital that every year there are reports of citizen rescuers who try to help those struggling in rip currents and do not survive. "We don't recommend that people try to rescue others, partly for this reason, but we do recommend that if people try to rescue others, they always take a floatation device, like a body board, life jacket, or anything that floats," Brewster said. Brewster said that while many say "riptides," the correct terminology is rip currents — as these are not caused by tides. "Rip currents occur at any beach where there is surf. What happens is that the surf pushes water up the slope of the beach. Gravity pulls it back," said Brewster. "It can concentrate in some cases and cause these concentrated currents of water moving away from the beach." Brewster co-authored a peer-reviewed study estimating rip current rescues and drowning in the U.S. published in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. Rip currents were found to cause 81.9% of rescues on surf beaches. It's possible that more than 100 fatal drownings per year occur due to them. Greg Dusek, NOAA's National Ocean Service senior scientist, told Fox News Digital they typically form at low spots or breaks in sandbars as well as near structures such as jetties and piers. "Rips can be identified by narrow gaps of darker, seemingly calmer water between areas of breaking waves and whitewater, choppy water, differences in watercolor, and a line of foam, seaweed or debris moving seaward," said Dusek. Brewster said most people are not aware of rip currents while in the water. "They notice that they're further away from the beach than they thought they were, then typically they try to swim back toward the shore and realize they're making no progress," said Brewster. This then "causes panic and that leads them to expend a lot of energy," he said. That's what "results in the drowning ultimately," he said. Stewart Leonard, grocery store chain president, lost his own toddler son in a swimming pool drowning incident back in 1989, inspiring him to open the Stewie the Duck Swim School – teaching children how to swim. "The key is to stay calm, conserve energy and swim parallel to the shore until you're out of the current, then head in at an angle," Leonard told Fox News Digital. Said Brewster, "The big picture is that once you realize this is going on, don't fight the current, because you won't win. Relax, float, and then try to swim out of the rip." There are about 4,500 fatal unintentional drownings each year, with fifty percent of fatal drownings of those over the age of 15 occurring in oceans, lakes and rivers, according to the CDC. Brewster advises beachgoers to swim near a lifeguard, not away from them. Leonard shared that parents should be conscious of their children while at the beach. "Just like having a designated driver when you drink, have a designated watcher when kids are swimming and put your phone down so you aren't distracted while the kids are in the water," said Leonard.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Shark bite in South Florida sends man to hospital
A shark attack at a South Florida beach left a man hospitalized on Tuesday, authorities said. The attack happened around 3 p.m. near the 4100 block of Ocean Drive at Hollywood Beach, WTVJ-TV reported, citing Hollywood Fire Rescue. "Upon arrival, the units identified a male with an injury to his upper torso, they then applied a tourniquet and were able to take him to a local hospital," Hollywood Fire Rescue and Beach Safety spokesperson Chai Kauffman told the station. Officials later confirmed the man suffered a shark bite to his upper arm. His condition has not been released. Kauffman said that initial reports indicate the man was in the water when he suddenly jumped out, 'screaming' for help. Officials confirmed the man's injury was the result of a shark bite and called everyone out of the ocean. Kauffman said the protocol is to then wait 30 minutes and, if no threats are spotted, allow people back into the water. Officials have not released the man's identity or said what type of shark was involved. Fox News Digital reached out to Hollywood Fire Rescue but did not immediately hear back. Earlier this month, a surfer at Volusia County's New Smyrna Beach – dubbed the "shark bite capital of the world" – survived a separate shark encounter.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How to Stay Safe From Rip Currents, and What to Do if You're Caught in One
As hot summer days lure people to sandy shores and cool waters, experts say that people going on beach trips should be aware of the potential danger of rip currents, like one the authorities said swept away the actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner while he was swimming off the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica on Sunday. At least three dozen people in the United States have drowned in the surf so far this summer, most of them caught in rip currents, channels of water that flow away from the shore and can drag people along, according to the National Weather Service, which tracks surf-zone deaths across the country. As the summer holidays get in full swing, reports of rescues and fatalities tend to rise. Mr. Warner, the American actor best known for playing Theo Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show,' was swept away at a Costa Rican beach known for rip currents on a day when there was no lifeguard on duty, the local authorities said. Earlier in July, Chase Childers, a former minor league baseball player, died after rushing into the surf in Pawleys Island, S.C., to save swimmers in a rip current, the police said. In Australia, an average of 26 people drowned each year in rip currents, statistics from 2011 to 2021 show. And the fatalities do not just occur in oceans. In the Great Lakes region, rip currents caused an average of 50 drownings per year from 2010 to 2017, Chris Houser, the dean of science at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, said. Can you see a calm strip of water cutting through the waves? Rip currents occur when water flows away from the beach through a narrow channel that has been created by an underwater feature or a sandbar. They are easiest to see from an elevated position like a beach access point, and are harder to spot when a person is closer to the water. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
