Update: Victims identified after back-to-back drownings at Beaufort County beaches
Two men visiting from Georgia drowned in separate incidents in Beaufort County waters this week, local authorities confirmed.
On Monday evening around 6:30 p.m., a 69-year-old man was pulled from the surf near Coligny Beach Park on Hilton Head Island after a bystander helped bring him to shore. A lifeguard attempted lifesaving measures, but the man did not survive, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office identified the man as William King, who was pronounced dead from drowning around 7:05 p.m. in the area of North Forest Beach Drive.
The following day, around 5:30 p.m., a 65-year-old man was found floating off the shoreline at Hunting Island State Park. A bystander who had been fishing swam out to bring him in and attempted CPR, but the 65-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. A sheriff’s office incident report said seven officers responded to the scene Tuesday evening, although additional information was heavily redacted.
Coroner’s staff identified the second drowning victim as Steven Thackston, a photographer from Decatur, Georgia.
Authorities also reported a rare pair of successive drownings last August, when two Ohio residents died in separate incidents on Hilton Head beaches on the same day. Before then, officials had reported only three drownings in the area since 2017, according to previous reporting from The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
Staying safe in local waters
Ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, authorities urged residents and visitors to take water safety seriously by staying up-to-date with local weather, beach and water conditions, including updates from the National Weather Service and real-time beach conditions from Shore Beach Services.
Shore Beach Services uses a flag system to signal different water conditions.
- Red flags indicate dangerous surf or hazardous conditions, including sharks or lightning seen in the area.
- Yellow flags indicate moderate surf conditions.
- Purple flags indicate jellyfish and stingrays in the water.
Shore Beach Services Beach Patrol survey areas can be viewed here.
This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 11:24 AM.
