Connecticut
Water safety expert warns of fast-changing tides as Fairfield police search for missing fisherman
Fairfield police have shifted their search for a missing fisherman into a recovery effort after he disappeared off the coast over the weekend when rising tides stranded two men on a reef near Penfield Beach.
Police identified the missing man as 34-year-old Kwahiwi Edwards of Queens, New York.
Investigators said two fishermen were on a reef off Penfield Beach on Saturday when an incoming tide quickly surrounded them, leaving them stranded. A witness saw the men in distress and helped one of them reach safety. Edwards remains missing.
As crews continue searching, a water safety expert is reminding beachgoers and fishermen to be aware of changing tide conditions along Connecticut’s shoreline.
Ben Rayner, who runs the nonprofit Water Emergency Training Incorporated, said the state’s coastline can create unpredictable water conditions.
“Because of the jagged nature and kind of irregular nature of the Connecticut coastline, you can get eddies and swirls that form with different tides,” he said.
Rayner said conditions can change rapidly, leaving people stranded in areas that were accessible only a short time earlier.
“You’re not going to be able to find your way back to the beach, which a half hour earlier looked like dry land,” he said.
According to Rayner, anyone heading to a sandbar, reef or other areas affected by tides should wear a life jacket and check tide conditions before going out.
He said several apps can help people monitor tide changes.
“There’s all sorts of apps you can download that’ll show you exactly where high tide and low tide is for where you’re at and try to time that,” he said.
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) – Some state parks have closed after their parking lots have reached capacity.
According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection parking lots at 3 state parks have reached their limit today and are closed to anymore guests.
As of this time the parks are:
-Silver Sands in Milford
-Wadsworth Falls in Middletown
-Squantz Pond in New Fairfield
We will update this list if anymore closures are reported today.
Connecticut
2 rescued, fisherman still missing after getting trapped in rising water at Connecticut beach
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a beach rescue in Santa Cruz County, California. Authorities said about eight rescue swimmers entered the water to extricate the victims.
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Two people, including a fisherman, have been rescued, and crews are looking to locate another that was trapped on a reef when water started to rise at a Connecticut beach.
The Fairfield Fire Department responded to a call for help after getting a report that two fishermen were in distress off the reef at Penfield Beach. It happened around 7 a.m. on Saturday.
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Investigators said that while the two fishermen were on a reef, the incoming tide quickly surrounded them, leaving them trapped, with the water still rising and no safe way back to shore.
A lifeguard station on Penfield Beach in Fairfield, CT.
(DeviantCharisma / Getty Images)
A witness saw what happened and jumped into the water to help. While they were able to find one of the fishermen, both were subsequently swept into deeper water, according to the fire department.
Police and fire officials dispatched multiple marine assets to the area, and the Fairfield Police Boat was able to rescue the witness and one fisherman.
Search efforts to find the second fisherman have been suspended for the night, but are expected to pick up on Sunday morning.
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Drone units from Fairfield and nearby Westport assisted in search operations. Helicopters from the U.S. Coast Guard and Nassau County, New York, also responded.
Dive teams from several neighboring cities and towns responded to the scene to assist with the search, too.
A peaceful evening at Fairfield Beach, Connecticut, with a lifeguard chair standing empty on the sandy shore. The serene waters of Long Island Sound reflect the soft pastel hues of the setting sun, while a near-full moon rises into the clear sky. The quiet beach scene, with coastal homes in the distance, captures the calm and tranquility of a New England beach town at dusk.
(Roshan Polepalli / Getty Images)
The rescued fisherman was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, due in large part to the heroic actions of the witness, according to fire officials.
Despite an extensive search involving local, state and federal resources, the second fisherman has not been located, the fire department said.
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The operation has transitioned from a search and rescue mission to a recovery effort, and officials said efforts to locate the man, identified as 34-year-old Kwahiwi Edwards, of Queens, New York, will continue.
Various jingle seashells on Sasco Beach in Fairfield, Connecticut, on a sunny day.
(Daniel Hanscom / Getty Images)
“The Fairfield Police Department and Fairfield Fire Department extend their thoughts and support to the family and loved ones of the missing fisherman as search and recovery efforts continue,” the fire department said on Facebook.
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Officials are also thanking the witness that jumped in and whose quick actions helped save a life.
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