MARTIN COUNTY − A man thought to be a snorkeler died after being taken to a hospital following an incident in the ocean in the area of Blowing Rocks Preserve, a Martin County Sheriff’s spokesperson said.
Officials were called Dec. 29 at 11:44 a.m. to the incident in the 500 block of South Beach Road, in extreme southeast Martin County, said Christine Christofek, sheriff’s spokesperson.
She said the man, who is 51 and thought to be a snorkeler, was trying to signal to people that the water conditions were too strong. Individuals on the beach lost sight of the man, and he ultimately was found and taken to Jupiter Medical Center, Christofek said.
He was pronounced dead at the hospital, she said.
According to Martin County Fire Rescue, initial reports indicated a person was about a half-mile offshore and appeared in distress.
“The family stated the patient had been snorkeling prior to the incident,” fire rescue officials stated in a social media post. “The family and patient appeared to be from out of the country and may have been unfamiliar with local water conditions.”
Three fire rescue officials went in the water and got the man back to shore.
Martin fire rescue in a 12:33 p.m. social media post reported “high hazard” conditions at Jensen, Stuart, Bathtub and Hobe Sound beaches. The agency reported 4- to 5-foot surf and a “strong possibility of rip currents.”
The National Weather Service in Melbourne just before 1 p.m. issued a small craft advisory from the Sebastian Inlet to the Jupiter Inlet. The alert states conditions will be hazardous to small craft, with seas of 4 to 7 feet expected, northwest winds at 15 to 20 knots and gusts up to 25 knots.
No other information was immediately available Dec. 29.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Man dies after incident at Blowing Rocks Preserve
Reporting by Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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