VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Lifeguards are out in full force this holiday weekend as rip currents continue to be a problem for swimmers.
According to Volusia County Beach Safety, nearly 400 people have been pulled from the water since Wednesday. While hundreds have been pulled to safety by lifeguards, one mom said her daughter was saved from rough surf by a good Samaritan.
Nina Lopez is hoping to find the man she said rescued her 9-year-old daughter Ozairiah from rough waters on Friday in Daytona Beach.
“Things happened so quick so I am just very thankful and I want to thank him with every drop of heart that I have,” Lopez said.
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Lopez said she wasn’t there when Ozairiah was rescued as the 9-year-old spent the day at the beach with a friend and their family.
“You know, it was really scary to experience that,” Lopez said. “When I received the text and it was even more scary to hear her story, being under and looking up to the sky, and I was asking her if she could see people on the beach and she was telling me no, so it’s just very scary.”
Ozairiah said she remembers being up to her elbows in the water when she was pulled to safety.
“When I was screaming for help I thought no one heard me so I tried to look down a little bit but I couldn’t see anything and then finally at the last second, someone came to get me,” Ozairiah said.
The 9-year-old said she doesn’t know how to swim, but her story is still an important reminder of how quickly a day at the beach can turn dangerous.
News 6′s Ezzy Castro spoke to Volusia Beach Safety Director Tammy Malphurs earlier this week about the rough conditions and large crowds expected to stay through the weekend.
“We’re just seeing a ground swell, we’re seeing those hazardous rip current conditions,” Malphurs said. “We’re seeing very large crowds, larger than I’ve seen in years, and the way the hazardous rip currents are, it just made for the perfect storm.”
Another important resource is the Volusia Beaches app where you can find real-time updates on beach conditions, beach accesses and active lifeguards.
“We do want people to swim in front of those staff lifeguard towers,” Malphurs said. “That is the most important thing to remember when coming to the beach.”
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