Swimmer demonstrates how to get out of rip current at South Padre Island
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The Harlingen community is mourning the drowning death of a 14-year-old girl.
The girl was identified as Anllelith Solis, who was swept away by a rip current near Beach Access #5 with her seven-year-old cousin. The cousin was rescued, but Anllelith was not. She was found nearly 15 hours after she went missing.
Cameron County park rangers believe rip currents pulled the Rio Grande Valley teen into the water.
RELATED STORY: Body of missing 13-year-old swimmer at South Padre Island recovered
"You could be standing right next to another person and all of a sudden the rip current takes them out, and what happens it takes you further out and if you don't know how to get out of them or can't swim back, you're going to be in trouble," Cameron County Chief Park Ranger Horacio Zamora said.
An experienced swimmer demonstrated how to get out of a rip current should anyone find themselves caught in one.
"Rip currents often look like the safest place to go in the water. So where it looks calm, and no waves are actually where rip currents are affecting you the most, so definitely stay where the beach looks uniform, there are waves, not where it looks calm because that's where rips suck out the most," SPI Sessions Watersports Safety Crew Grayson Rowe said.
He says the best thing to do if you get tired while trying to escape a rip current, is to float on your back.
"Definitely you need to know how to float. So stay calm and flat on your back, control on your breathing. When you hyperventilate, your body has a lot less oxygen and air to float, so if you're tired, just stay calm and float on your back," Grayson said.
Beach goers should try to swim near lifeguards, never swim alone if they aren't experienced, and if there's a red flag warning, don't go deeper than waist deep to avoid being taken by the rip currents.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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