Deputies with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office rescued two swimmers — a man and a child — April 23 swimming off Bean Point on Anna Maria Island.
A current pulled the swimmers — identified as a father and son — about 100 yards from shore.
MCSO marine deputies, while on patrol, saw the swimmers in distress and pulled them to their boat before returning them to the beach area at the north end.
The swimmers were vacationing from Europe and, according to an MCSO news release, were not aware of rip currents common to the area.
“Fortunately,” the release stated, “deputies were in the right place at the right time and saw the struggling swimmers before it was too late.”
A video of the rescue was posted to MCSO’s social media accounts, including on YouTube.
The MCSO, in social media posts May 1, cautioned about the dangers of currents and stressed safe-swimming practices.