Derrick Moore, 47, of Loganville, Georgia, entered the Atlantic off Myrtle Beach on Friday, Aug. 7, to help a young girl caught in a rip current. He got her to safety but did not come back. Moore was a father of four, an elementary school physical education and health teacher, and a football coach.
Incident Details
The Horry County Coroner’s Office identified Moore publicly in a news release on Sunday, Aug. 9, two days after a search that ran through the night. The incident occurred near Fourth Avenue South, and Moore’s body washed ashore Saturday, Aug. 8, near 11th Avenue South.
The National Weather Service office in Wilmington tracks surf zone fatalities for both Carolinas and reports that male victims account for 86% of the total, and men are five times more likely than women to drown in a Carolinas rip current. Moore matches the profile on every axis the Weather Service tracks.
Rip Current Safety
The Weather Service’s guidance for a swimmer caught in a rip current is to stay calm and stop fighting the current, swim parallel to shore to get out of the channel, then angle back toward the beach once free. A swimmer who cannot escape should float and signal for help by waving and shouting.
Original reporting: MyrtleBeachSC News — read the source article.
