Swimmer spotted struggling in ‘rough’ waters 300 yards off NC’s Oak Island, town says

An exhausted swimmer was found in the ocean off North Carolina, after witnesses reported seeing someone struggling to stay afloat far off the beach, according to the Town of Oak Island.

It happened around 1 p.m. Sunday, March 16, near the Lockwoods Folly Inlet, which connects the Atlantic to the Intracoastal Waterway, officials said in a news release.

“Fire Chief Lee Price was able to visually locate the swimmer, who had been pulled approximately 300 yards out into the ocean,” officials said.

“A rescue watercraft (RWC) was deployed, securing the swimmer within two minutes. ... The victim was exhausted and had ingested seawater, but appeared to have suffered no other injuries.”

The swimmer was escorted to a waiting ambulance, video shows. The person’s identity was not released.

Rip currents — powerful channels of fast-flowing water — are notorious for pulling swimmers away from the beaches at “speeds as high as 8 feet per second,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“Drowning deaths occur when people, pulled away from the shoreline, are unable to keep themselves afloat,” NOAA reports. “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.”

Ocean conditions were “rough” at the time of the rescue, town officials said.

“It is also important to note the area between Oak Island and Holden Beach is an inlet,” the town said. “For those unfamiliar, swimming in an inlet is strongly discouraged and dangerous, due to strong currents and marine traffic.”

The incident marks the town’s first ocean rescue of 2025, officials said.

Oak Island is about a 160-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.

This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Swimmer spotted struggling in ‘rough’ waters 300 yards off NC’s Oak Island, town says."