Man caught in rip current drowns off Daytona Beach; lifeguards rescue 107 on Wednesday

A West Virginia man drowned on Wednesday afternoon while swimming in an area of Daytona Beach that was not staffed with a lifeguard , according to Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue Interim Director Tammy Malphurs.

The 43-year-old man was visiting the area with his family. He got caught in a rip current about 2 p.m. north of the Daytona Beach Bandshell.

A surfer responded quickly and pulled him to shore with the help of lifeguards, but the man was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Wednesday was a busy day for the county's lifeguards. Just before 5 p.m., the team had rescued 107 people from the ocean, according to Malphurs.

Daytona Beach had a high risk of rip currents on Wednesday, but there is always a chance of getting caught in a rip current.

The county urges people to swim in front of a staffed lifeguard tower. Those areas can be found through the Volusia Beaches app .

Correction: A previous version of this story reported an incorrect number of beach rescues due to incorrect information provided by Beach Safety. The total was 107.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Man caught in rip current drowns off Daytona Beach; lifeguards rescue 107 on Wednesday