A man who attempted to swim from the southern tip of Pelican Island to a nearby sandbar was pulled from the water by a Coast Guard boat crew after powerful currents prevented him from making the crossing.
Sector Mobile watchstanders received the report around 5 p.m. Thursday from a woman on the beach whose husband had set out for the Pelican Island Sandbar — a distance of nearly a mile — and had not returned after an hour and a half.
A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island was directed to the area and located the man in the water. He told rescuers he had become caught in a current that he could not swim out of and was not wearing a life jacket at the time.
The boat crew brought him to the station, where he was evaluated by EMS and found to be in stable condition. Dauphin Island Fire and Rescue assisted with a beach search during the operation.
“This swimmer is fortunate, and it was prudent he had a loved one on the beach who was familiar with his swim plan,” said Cmdr. Kara Lavin, search and rescue mission coordinator at Sector Mobile. “We advise that everyone tells a friend or family member their plans when open water swimming. The currents can catch people off-guard, and the absence of a life jacket put this swimmer at serious risk.”
Currents around barrier islands can overwhelm even strong swimmers
The waters between Pelican Island and the sandbar are subject to tidal flows that can move faster than a person can swim, particularly on an outgoing tide. What looks like a manageable distance from shore can quickly become a life-threatening situation when the water is moving.
Cmdr. Lavin emphasized two precautions: always let someone on shore know exactly where you are swimming and when you expect to return, and wear a life jacket — or at minimum a personal flotation device designed for open-water swimming — any time you venture beyond the immediate shoreline.