Man caught in rip current drowns off Daytona Beach; lifeguards rescue 107 on Wednesday

A West Virginia man drowned on Wednesday afternoon while swimming in an area of Daytona Beach that was not staffed with a lifeguard, according to Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue Interim Director Tammy Malphurs.

The 43-year-old man was visiting the area with his family. He got caught in a rip current about 2 p.m. north of the Daytona Beach Bandshell.

A surfer responded quickly and pulled him to shore with the help of lifeguards, but the man was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Wednesday was a busy day for the county's lifeguards. Just before 5 p.m., the team had rescued 107 people from the ocean, according to Malphurs.

Daytona Beach had a high risk of rip currents on Wednesday, but there is always a chance of getting caught in a rip current.

The county urges people to swim in front of a staffed lifeguard tower. Those areas can be found through the Volusia Beaches app.

Correction: A previous version of this story reported an incorrect number of beach rescues due to incorrect information provided by Beach Safety. The total was 107.