ANNA MARIA – Two men died in separate water-related incidents off Anna Maria on Aug. 9, according to Sgt. Brett Getman, leader of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Anna Maria Unit.
When contacted by The Sun on Aug. 11, Getman shared what details he could as authorized reports had not yet been released.
Rescued man dies next day
“The rip current was so bad on Saturday, with the winds out of the east and the incoming tide,” Getman said. “We were on routine patrol, got flagged down and were told there were two people treading water off Bean Point. I radioed for the (MCSO) Marine Unit, the Coast Guard and Beach Patrol to respond.”
According to Getman, at approximately 10:35 a.m., a 45-year-old father and his 15-year-old son were throwing a football around in the water off Bean Point. The ball got away from the son and he went after it but couldn’t reach it. The son got caught in the rip current and swept around the corner of the point. The son was eventually able to get within about 25 yards of the shoreline and Getman entered the water, swam out to him, threw him a life ring and pulled him ashore, but the father remained too far out to reach from the shore.
As two MCSO Marine Unit boats responded to the scene, members of the Manatee County Beach Patrol paddled out to the father and placed him on a rescue board. Getman said the father appeared to suffer some type of cardiac event after being placed on the rescue board. He was transferred into one of the Marine Unit boats, administered CPR, taken to Galati’s Marina and transported by EMS personnel to the hospital, where he died the following day.
Getman said the father and son were Florida residents and were visiting from elsewhere in the state, but as of Monday afternoon he couldn’t provide names or additional details.
Man drowns off Anna Maria
According to Getman, a man drowned later that day near the Sandbar restaurant in Anna Maria at approximately 4:30 p.m.
“That was a 73-year-old male. He was in the water about 20 yards out. He began having trouble with his footing and went underwater. Bystanders were able to locate him, pull him out and start CPR, but he didn’t make it,” Getman said.
Getman said the waves were high in that area on Saturday afternoon as the weather began to worsen, but generally the currents there aren’t as strong as they are at Bean Point.
