Teen Buried in Sand Almost Drowns in Bald Head Beach High Tide

Lawrence Egerton

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Most of us have fond memories of playing in the sand at the beach. Building sand castles, and burying each other are staples of summer time beach fun. But as one New Jersey teen found out this weekend in Bald Head Island, NC, these games are not without their hazards.

He was buried up to his neck in the sand at Bald Head Island, when the tide began to come in. The water climbed above his head as other swimmers struggled to build makeshift sand barriers and dig him free. He even ended up breathing through a snorkel given to him by a bystander before he was rescued by emergency personnel.

Thankfully there were enough people around that were able to think quickly and save this boy. Had it not been for their efforts, this story would surely have had a more tragic result.

You should never leave anyone buried in the sand. Obvious as it seems, you should never play near the water alone to begin with. The deep dark waters beyond the breaker isn't the only place you can drown. It only takes a few inches of water.

This also reflects a theme I spoke about in an earlier post; the lack of sufficient safety personnel at our beaches, and a lack of effective methods for enforcing the rules we do have. We all love the beach, but we need to know that we are going to be safe while we're there. It's time we got serious about water safety.