A man remembers the moment he took action to save two swimmers who were pulled from the water at Micklers Beach

jacksonville beach, florida – The St. Johns County Fire and Rescue Service and Marine Rescue Service had a busy Sunday, with crews having to help several swimmers on the beach due to strong rip currents.

This came after two people were rushed to hospital in serious condition at Mickles Beach on Saturday.

Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue Captain Rob Emmaheiser said lifeguards will do everything in their power to keep everyone as safe as possible, whistling to people to warn them of danger.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘Why are you whistling at me?’ I want you to They move when the tide changes,” said Emmaheiser.

A man and a child caught in a rip current have been rescued. People rushed to save the father and son.

Brenden Townsend was on the beach when the chaos erupted.

“My girlfriend left early because she was ready to do something. We were just looking for shark teeth,” said Townsend.

Then I heard a cry and saw someone drowning in the water.

“It turned out that the boy was also swept away and his father went inside and tried to rescue him,” he said.

He said he took action because people were able to bring them back to shore.

“I was able to give CPR to the little one, even to the father. Lifeguards started rotating CPR for my dad,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the St. Johns County Fire and Rescue Service said there were 71 underwater rescues this weekend, 46 of which involved swimmers.

Emahiser said he will have more lifeguards on the beaches on Independence Day to keep everyone safe.

If you do go out, he recommends swimming near lifeguards. Ask the lifeguard if it’s okay to get in the water. And finally, don’t take risks if you can’t swim.

“We have experts who have been trained at sea and are watching to see if it’s safe, so if things change, they’ll give us real-time advice,” Emmaheiser said.

News4JAX has not received an update on the father and son’s situation.