VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — While some of us may be headed to the beach this week to celebrate July 4, it's important to remember how to stay safe in the water.
On Wednesday in Nags Head, an 18-year-old died while swimming in the Outer Banks with two other people.
Watch: Ohio man, 18, drowns in Nags Head
First responders in Nags Head were called out to the Gull Street public beach access just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday for three swimmers in distress.
Two were able to come back to shore but an 18-year-old from Columbus Ohio did not.
He was eventually found and taken to shore by lifeguards and later died once he arrived at the hospital.
The town of Nags Head tells News 3 it's unclear what caused the man to drown.
Watch: Virginia Beach mom becomes water safety advocate after daughter drowns
Wednesday's beach condition was yellow flag meaning moderate surf or currents are present.
"Whether it be a rip current, a trough, a hole in the water, or just a medical emergency in the water, anything can happen," Tom Gill, chief of the Virginia Beach Life Saving Service, said.
Gill said when it comes to the ocean the water is never perfectly safe and there is always a concern for rip currents.
He said that's why it's important to swim near a lifeguard and know what to do if you're pulled into a rip current.
Watch: 3-year-old dies after being found in pool in Norfolk Sunday
"Number one stay calm, float. If you can float you can survive a rip current," Gill said. "If you're a good swimmer just start swimming laterally out of that rip current until you can easily come back in. You're probably swimming toward where the surf is breaking or where there's a sandbar."
Once you're on that sandbar, catch your breath and collect yourself before trying to head back to shore.
Gill said another option is to also raise your hands and yell for a lifeguard.
He said often because of the lifeguard stands, guards have a better viewpoint on where a rip current may be and can see people begin to be pulled to shore,
This 4th of July Gill said more than half of his staff is on deck to protect beach goers and assist in an emergency.
A reminder for swimmers thinking about going to the Oceanfront, if there's not a guard on the stand remain in the sand.
