Three young Alabama men drowned Friday while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico in Bay County. Here’s what we know so far:
Who Drowned in Panama City Beach?
Initially, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said only that the three victims were young men from Alabama. No other details had been released as of 10 a.m. Saturday.
At approximately 2:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office announced that it had notified next of kin and was able to publicly identify the three drowning victims: Harold Denzel Hunter, 25; Jemonda Ray, 24; and Marius Richardson, 24. They were from the Birmingham, Alabama area.
Related news: Three drownings in Panama City Beach bring Florida’s total this week to five. How do you survive rip currents?
Where did the Panama City Beach drownings occur?
According to the sheriff’s office, the emergency call led them to an area of the beach behind the Watercrest Condominiums, 6201 Thomas Drive, Panama City Beach.
Is Panama City Beach safe for swimming?
Some red flags were flying on Saturday morning, which means a great danger: high surf and/or strong currents. Just after 3 a.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service issued a statement saying dangerous currents are expected at beaches in Bay, Walton, Gulf and Franklin counties until 4 a.m. Monday.
Rip currents kill four people in 48 hours: Panama City Beach is on track to become the deadliest in the US
What is a rip current?
Rip currents are powerful, concentrated channels of water that flow rapidly away from the coast, usually found at low spots or breaks in the sandbar and near structures such as jetties and piers.
Rip currents are created when incoming waves create an underwater sandbar. The waves push more water between the sandbar and the shore until it collapses and the water flows through a narrow opening back to the sea, where it begins to spread. But they can be hard to see when you’re in the water because the ocean above them can still be slippery.
Last year around this time: Panama City Beach leads in 2023 beach deaths, with three more tourists killed on Saturday
Rip currents often form during or after stormy weather, but can form just as easily on clear, sunny days because the weather is not actually the cause. Rip currents can be found on any beach with waves, at any time.
Was there a drowning in Bay County earlier this week?
Yes. A 19-year-old Oklahoma man drowned in the Gulf of Mexico in Panama City Beach on Thursday (June 20). The News Herald has not previously reported this drowning.
Ryker Milton was from Muskogee, Oklahoma, about 35 miles east of Tulsa. According to lead pastor Simeon Young, he was in his first year of online seminary training and shadowing the student pastor at New Community Church, a non-denominational Christian church.
Milton was on vacation in Bay County. He is remembered as a gifted football player and spirit-filled preacher with a bright future. He was remembered on Friday evening during an impromptu student service in the church. A video of his last sermon was played.
Milton was “a living testament to how we believe students should live their lives,” Young said.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: What we know about the three Florida beach drowning victims from Alabama
