Mississippi man drowns at Gulf Shores public beach

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WALA) – Heavy surf and rip currents created dangerous conditions again Monday, June 17, 2024 at Baldwin County beaches. Sunday, a 23-year-old Mississippi man drowned in the rough surf and two more swimmers were rescued on the public beach just east of the Pink Pony Pub.

Lifeguards were busy again Monday on the same stretch of beach. Two boogieboarders were pulled in from offshore by a Gulf Shores Beach Rescue jet-ski. A beachgoer called 9-1-1 after seeing them more than 100 yards from shore and in apparent distress. While the swimmers had floatation devices and said they could swim, they were pulled in as a precaution.

We were just smiling, having a good time. The jet ski cam and I told the dude to leave us, like go on. We’ll swim in for you,” said Petra Deweese. “You know, we can swim but he told us it’s too dangerous and after we’re trying to swim back in, it was a lot harder that I realized. It was much harder.”

I guarantee if you ask a hundred people on this beach, everyone is going to say they can swim. Floating in a pool is not swimming in this gulf,” said Chief of Staff for the Gulf Shores Fire Department.

Red flags flew again Monday, warning of dangerous conditions. It was the second day in a row red and purple flags were posted. Lifeguards were able to assist two others with the man who drowned Sunday.

“They were in about chest-deep water. He assisted them back to the shore and in that process, they told him that there was a third individual who has submerged,” Shepard explained. “Other lifeguards came down from the main beach to assist in that search along with Fire Department personnel. About twenty minutes into it, the individual did wash ashore.”

Lifeguards were busy Monday, having one-one-one interactions with those who were getting in the water a little too deep.