Police in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, have called off the search for a Maryland man, who went missing in the water over the weekend, after finding his body in the surf early Monday morning.
In an update on Facebook, Rehoboth police said the body of 31-year-old Richard Boateng was discovered in the surf just before 6 a.m. Monday near Ocean Drive and Fairview Road in the North Shores community.
Members of the police department, Delaware State Parks and the volunteer fire department responded to the scene, as well as paramedics, who positively identified the body as Boateng.
Authorities are now conducting a death investigation, but say no foul play is suspected.
Boateng, of Savage, Maryland, in Howard County, was last seen swimming in the ocean surf an the area of Rehoboth Avenue on Sunday evening at about 5:45 p.m.
Police received multiple 911 calls about Boateng’s disappearance, triggering a search-and-rescue effort that included the U.S. Coast Guard.
Boateng went missing in the water on a day when the National Weather Service issued a message about an increased risk for rip currents, with the dangerous conditions expected to last through Tuesday.
Ocean City Beach Patrol: 230 rescues Sunday
In nearby Ocean City, Maryland, lifeguards with the Beach Patrol made hundreds of rescues over the weekend, as strong rip currents lashed the Delmarva beaches.
Longtime Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin told WTOP lifeguards made 152 water rescues Saturday and 230 rescues Sunday — as the remnant of last week’s storms left powerful waves behind.
Arbin said rip currents, which are small channels of fast-moving water heading away from the beach, pose dangers for swimmers.
“A rip current is very much like being on a treadmill … And a fast moving rip currents will move faster than an Olympic swimmer can swim,” he said.
He added, “When a person’s in a rip current, they’re being pulled into deeper water … They thought they were only going to go in knee deep, but before they know it, they’re in water over their head.”
Arbin said lifeguards are trained to recognize these rip currents and are poised to step in to make rescues when needed.
Rip currents are not very wide, and if you get caught in one, you should try to swim sideways, parallel to the beach, to break free.
Many beachgoers may not be familiar with swimming in the ocean and think of like swimming in a backyard pool, where there are no currents, he said.
He said beachgoers should check in with the lifeguard who can take time to explain any hazards and should also avoid swimming when there’s no lifeguard on duty.
The catchphrase is: “Keep your feet in the sand until there’s a lifeguard in the stand,” he said.
