ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Tragedy at Mickler’s Landing on Monday morning after the body of the 20-year-old swimmer who disappeared in the surf Sunday night was recovered.
This follows an extensive overnight search, with the swimmer’s family left grieving.
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“We got here really quickly and we were just hoping for a positive outcome, but unfortunately it didn’t end up that way,” Chris Naff with St. Johns County Fire and Rescue said.
“It’s so sad. You come for a fun beach day and safety is always first and my heart goes out to them,” beachgoer Jill Grogg said.
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Naff said teams searched for that swimmer throughout Sunday night, though first responders had their hands full, having to rescue several other swimmers at the same time.
“We were actually out here patrolling looking for the missing swimmer and we did at least 3, 4, maybe 5 rescues just by jet skiing around and people getting pulled out by rip currents,” Naff said.
Jill Grogg takes her small children to Mickler’s often and said she does the best she can to stay safe in the open water.
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“When it’s rough like this, I always keep the kids closer to the shore,” Grogg said. “We still love to play in the water, but staying close to shore is safest.”
The Action News Jax First Alert Weather team warns the rip current risk will remain and build through the week, with Naff asking swimmers to exercise extreme caution on St. Johns County beaches.
“Just use your common sense, stay out of the rip [currents],” Naff said. “If you don’t get caught in the rip, let it take you out and then swim sideways to the beach until you get out of it and then swim back in.”
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