A father died Christmas Eve while trying to save his young daughter from the clutches of the ocean in Carmel, authorities said. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection received a call at 12:28 p.m. Tuesday that two swimmers had been washed out to sea at Carmel River State Beach. A father and daughter had been playing in the lagoon near the rest of their family when the current swept the girl’s inflatable raft toward the mouth of the Carmel River and into the ocean, officials said. Cal Fire, California State Park lifeguards, the Coast Guard and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office launched a search for the pair. “We’ll take what we can from this to shore up safety down there.”A note on the California Beaches website warned beachgoers not to swim at Carmel River State Beach because of a dangerous undertow.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 26, 2019 19:52 UTC