Rip currents claim one life in Florida’s Lake Worth Beach, leave two injured
Rip currents claimed one life and left two injured on Saturday, April 12, 2025, after pulling three teens into the water while swimming at Lake Worth Beach in Florida.
Image credit: Alex Atkinson/NWS
Rip tides claimed the life of a teenager and left two injured on Saturday afternoon, April 12, at Florida’s Lake Worth Beach.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a drowning at the beach in the 3000 block of South Ocean Boulevard, near the Lake Worth Pier, on Saturday.
Lifeguards and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue emergency managed to pull out the three teen swimmers, who had been caught in a riptide. They were given lifesaving CPR before being transported to nearby hospitals.
The 17-year-old who was taken to Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton succumbed to injuries related to drowning and was pronounced dead.
The other two swimmers, aged 17 and 12, were taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach. The two had survived being underwater for an extended period of time and were in stable conditions as of Sunday, April 13.
No further information regarding the incident or the identities of the victims has been provided.
Rip currents are dangerous and powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore. They typically extend from the shoreline, through the surf zone, and past the line of breaking waves. Rip currents can occur at any beach with breaking waves, including the Great Lakes.
Often called the drowning machines by lifeguards, rip currents are one of the leading causes of rescues and fatalities at beaches. They are particularly dangerous for weak or non-swimmers, but a strong rip current will be hazardous even for experienced swimmers.
Rip current speeds are typically 30–60 cm (1–2 feet) per second, but speeds as high as 2.4 m (8 feet) per second have been measured. For reference, that’s faster than an Olympic swimmer.
Fatalities occur when people, pulled away from the shoreline, are unable to keep themselves afloat and swim to shore. This may be due to any combination of fear, panic, exhaustion, or lack of swimming skills. Once people become tired, they can easily go under without flotation to hold onto.
The United States Lifesaving Association estimates that the annual number of deaths due to rip currents on the nation’s beaches exceeds 100. In addition, rip currents account for over 80% of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards.
References:
1 Boy, 17, dies after being caught in riptide off LW Beach – The Palm Beach Post – April 13, 2025
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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