WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. – Ocean Rescue located an unresponsive 19-year-old swimmer at Wrightsville Beach and performed CPR before transferring him to emergency medical personnel who transported him via ambulance to New Hanover Regional Medical Center Friday afternoon.
Coast Guard crews assisted Wrightsville Beach police department, sheriff’s department, and ocean rescue agency with the search for the missing swimmer at the beach after a man on the beach called the Coast Guard at 3:26 p.m.
The swimmer reportedly struggled and submerged after lightning struck near him in the water.
Search crews aboard a 41-foot and a 25-foot rescue boat launched from Station Wrightsville Beach and searched for the man, said Chris Humphrey, a watchstander at Sector North Carolina. The Coast Guard Cutter Shearwater, an 87-foot patrol boat, was also diverted to assist.
A helicopter search crew from the sheriff’s office searched along with police and ocean rescue personnel on the beach.
