A father and his six-year-old son tragically died Sunday afternoon on a family outing to Goat Rock Beach in Jenner, California.
The father’s two sons were playing in the water when they got caught in a strong current and started drifting out to sea around 2:20pm.
The father swam after to try and rescue them but then got caught in the undertow himself.
One of the boys was able to swim back to shore to the safety of his mother and another siblings, but the father, 31, and the other son, age six, drowned.
An unnamed father, 31, and his six-year-old son died Sunday afternoon after being caught in undertow at Goat Rock Beach in Jenner, California
The dad’s two sons were playing in the water when they got caught in a current. He swam out to rescue them but got caught in the current as well
Authorities were able to pull the father’s body out of the waters while the boy’s body later washed ashore
‘Just as we were about to get him to shore the first time we were hit by a wave. It was scary,’ witness Sandra Simmons told the Press Democrat.
‘It was pretty shallow water but the undertow was so strong,’ Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Emily Rowan told CBS San Francisco. ‘It’s an unfortunate situation.’
Officials have not released the identities of the victims, but said they were from Santa Rosa.
A group of people including California State Parks lifeguards were able to pull the father’s body out of the water.
The boy’s boy later washed ashore.
Paramedics performed CPR on both the father and son, to no avail.
The surviving mother and her two kids were taken to the Salmon Creek Ranger Station where they were met by other family members.
The family cried loudly and embraced each other. They declined to comment.
Sgt. Tim Murphy, a lifeguard with California State Parks, says that Goat Rock Beach is dangerous because the sea floor drops off quickly and huge waves crash directly on the beach.
There have been numerous drownings over the years, including three in 2016.
‘Undertow gets them all the time,’ Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman said. ‘This is really sad for all of us, especially this time of year when people should be celebrating.’