SARASOTA, Fla. -- A man who went for a swim in the Gulf of Mexico drowned after a suspected rip current kept him offshore.
Sarasota police were called around 10 p.m. Sunday to Lido Beach on a report of a man believed lost in the Gulf, according to a news release.
The woman he was swimming with told officers they were in the water for a swim when a rip current began pulling them southward toward Big Sarasota Pass. After about an hour in the water, she says she was able to make it to shore.
The man, however, was missing.
Officers and responding firefighters eventually found the man around 10:45 p.m. on the beach in the area of 200 Benjamin Franklin Drive. Despite CPR efforts, he was pronounced dead some 15 minutes later.
Detectives taking over the investigation believe the incident appears to be accidental with no foul play suspected.
The man has yet to be identified, pending notification of his family.
Spotting a rip current is not always obvious, especially at night. Officials say to look for an area where the water is pushing out toward the Gulf, especially where it looks washed up beneath the surface.
If caught in the current, don't swim against it but parallel to shore until it's easier to swim again.
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