Surf riptides caused by Hurricane Ernesto claim two lives in South Carolina

HILTON HEAD, SC – Two men died Friday after being caught in surf rip currents off Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

Officers responded to a possible drowning alert at 10:28 a.m. Friday morning

According to Captain William Angelo of the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, when officers arrived they saw beach patrollers and paramedics performing CPR on a 65-year-old man. The man later died.

The second death occurred on Friday afternoon at 3:22 p.m.

When officers arrived at the scene, rescue efforts were underway for a 73-year-old man who had apparently drowned. He also died.

“Looks like they both got caught in the surf,” said Angelo.

As Hurricane Ernesto rages in the Atlantic, beaches along the entire east coast were on rip current alert this week.

The threat of rip currents on Hilton Head Island was high Friday and will remain so Saturday. Surf heights are expected to be 3 to 4 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

For anyone planning to visit the beaches of Hilton Head this weekend, Angelo has provided the following tips.

“Pay attention to the lifeguards. If they tell you to swim in a certain area, swim in that area,” he said. “Know your swimming limits, and if you get caught in a rip current, just go with the flow and try to swim parallel to the shore instead of trying to swim back to the shore. And hopefully you can get out of that rip current.”