Coast Guard searches HHI waters Thursday after ‘possible sightings’ of drowning victim
Hilton Head lifeguards’ potential sighting of a drowning victim at a Palmetto Dunes beach Thursday afternoon triggered an-hours search from the Coast Guard and other agencies that was eventually suspended after a lack of findings, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Earlier in the day, there was a report of a swimmer missing in the water off Coligny Beach but, after a short search, nothing was found.
No drowning victims were found during the search, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Angela Viens, and police haven’t received any missing person reports as of 9:30 a.m. Friday.
Two lifeguards from Shore Beach Services, Hilton Head’s beach patrol, reported a “possible sighting” of a drowning victim around 2:20 p.m. Thursday, saying they saw what looked like a person going underwater and never coming back up about 100 yards off the shore of the Captain’s Walk condo complex, said beach patrol director Mike Wagner. Two nearby beachgoers reported seeing the same.
Patrol crews cleared the surrounding water during the search but did not evacuate the beach, Wagner said.
Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, Hilton Head Fire Rescue, SC Department of Natural Resources and Beaufort Water Search and Rescue responded to the scene. After hours without findings, Sheriff’s deputies suspended their search at 4:40 p.m. Thursday, awaiting a “valid complaint” to resume. Beaufort Water Search and Rescue’s crew concluded their efforts just before 7 p.m., Viens said.
A smaller search at Coligny Beach
Beach patrol crews also conducted a brief search near Coligny Beach just before Thursday’s larger search, according to Wagner. Lifeguards searched the waters near Alder Lane’s public beach access after a beachgoer reported seeing a person out in the water that had not come back.
The report came at 1:45 p.m. Thursday and was “less credible” than the later claims near Palmetto Dunes, Wagner said. Beach patrol searched the area for about 30 minutes and did not find anything, concluding efforts just before the 2:20 p.m. reported sighting in Palmetto Dunes.
This story was originally published June 23, 2023 at 9:59 AM.
