South Carolina: 2 drownings in 2 days prompt warnings headed into summer

Two drownings in two days in the Upstate have prompted warnings about water safety as the summer begins

Two drownings in two days in the Upstate have prompted warnings about water safety as the summer begins

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Two drownings in two days in the Upstate have prompted warnings about water safety as the summer begins

Two drownings in two days in the Upstate have prompted warnings about water safety as the summer begins.

Two adults reportedly drowned in separate incidents in the Saluda River in Ware Shoals this week.

Police say a 43-year-old drowned Monday and a 19-year-old drowned Tuesday.

"They’re fast," Dr. Amaka Ofodu said. "They’re silent, and they’re deadly."

Ofodu is an internal medicine physician and pediatrician in Greenville. She says two-thirds of drownings happen within three months during the summer.

"Just because you know how to swim or you can wade in the water, does not mean you’re safe from drowning," Ofodu said.

Up the Saluda River in Easley, Saluda Outdoor Center officials said the center had to close Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend because of high water levels.

"We’re able to check not only the height of the river, but also the flow rate, and that's all online so we can check that, and we determined it was not safe to operate Friday or Saturday, even though it was going to be a busy weekend," owner Cliff Carden said.

Carden warns of the dangers along the river even when the water level is lower.

"Foot entrapments, so there could be stuff under the water that you don't see," he said. "It could be trees. It could be rocks."

Carden said it takes a matter of seconds for a situation to deteriorate and a person to go under.

"Unless you can see the ground, it's best not to try to stand up," Carden said. "If you fall out of your tube, you should float down the river with your feet ahead of you."

He says every person tubing on the river is required to wear a life vest. He said they also have people monitoring the river at different areas to help people if they get stuck.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources says in 2021, there were 21 boating-related deaths. Of those deaths, officials say 10 were drowning-related deaths.

"And most importantly, wear a life vest," Ofodu said. "They’re the cheapest form of life insurance you could possibly have."