Overview
- An 11-year-old boy visiting Surfside Beach with a Richmond youth football group went underwater about 150 yards offshore after a large wave and did not resurface according to local police and family eyewitnesses.
- Surfside Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and volunteer teams including Texas EquuSearch have been searching the water by shoreline crews, drones, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and boats.
- Police and search leaders have shifted the operation from an immediate rescue to a recovery mission as searchers continue to comb the area and volunteers remain on site.
- Search conditions have been complicated by heavy holiday crowds, strong currents and shifting sandbars that officials say make the water unpredictable and dangerous for swimmers.
- The family and volunteer searchers continue to press for a find while the incident has renewed attention to gaps in off-season lifeguard coverage and local beach safety resources.