Student dies in rip current on high school trip to North Carolina beach, officials say

A high school robotics team was visiting the North Carolina coast for a field trip when a student got caught in a rip current and died, officials said.

Her principal identified her as a student at RJ Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem.

The students visited Ocean Isle Beach on Sunday, July 14, during a break on the trip and decided to go swimming, officials said.

But the seas were rough, and three people were swept away from shore in a rip current, according to officials from the school and Ocean Isle.

One of the students was pulled from the water unresponsive, and first responders couldn’t revive her, according to Calvin Freeman, the principal of RJ Reynolds High School.

“This is a tragic situation, and as you can imagine, other members of the team are taking the news hard,” Freeman said in a statement to school staff.

He said school officials won’t release her name at this time.

Ocean Isle Mayor Debbie Smith called the incident an “unusual occurrence” for the town, which is about a 40-mile drive up the coast from Myrtle Beach.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Smith told McClatchy News over the phone. “My heart breaks for the family.”

What is a rip current?

Rip currents are “powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water” that happen on the coasts of the U.S. and in the Great Lakes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

About 100 people are killed by rip currents each year in the U.S., NOAA reported. Lifeguards rescue thousands of people from rip currents annually.

Experts say people can take steps to stay safe from rip currents, including:

• Check the local water conditions before getting in.

• Talk to a lifeguard at the beach about the conditions.

• Only swim at beaches where lifeguards are present.

• Don’t assume great weather means good swimming conditions.

This story was originally published July 15, 2024 at 5:56 PM.