Man Dies, Another Found Floating Face Down in Separate Incidents at Fla. Beach Over an Hour Apart

Over an hour after a 72-year-old man died while surfing at Daytona Beach, another man — who's currently recovering — was found in the water by the pier

A surfer died and another man is recovering following separate incidents in Florida's Volusia County on Monday.

In the first incident, a 72-year-old man died while surfing off of Daytona Beach, Volusia County Beach Safety said, according to FOX affiliate WOFL and The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Volusia County Beach Safety Logistics Captain A.J. Miller said the victim became separated from his board and attempted to swim back to it before becoming unresponsive, per the News-Journal.

Life-saving efforts were attempted, but the Daytona Beach man was eventually pronounced dead.

Related: Connecticut Man Is Third Drowning Death This Week Off North Carolina's Outer Banks Coast

The second incident occurred over an hour later, when a man was found face down in the ocean north of the Daytona Beach Pier, according to the News-Journal. A bystander told the outlet he saw the man near a rip current.

The man, whose name and age have not been released, was pulled ashore by bystanders, who then performed CPR on him until he was transported to Halifax Medical Center, per the paper

Related:

Miller said the victim was still being treated at the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon.

Volusia County Beach Safety did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Nine ocean-related deaths have occurred in Volusia County this year, Miller said, according to the News-Journal.

Lifeguards conducted 178 rescues over Labor Day weekend this year, compared to just 16 in 2022, the captain told WOFL.

“If you were to combine all of the rescues around the state, they still don’t equal what we do here in a year on Volusia County beaches,” Miller told CBS affiliate WKMG-TV.

Related: Missing Swimmer's Body Recovered After Massive Overnight Search on Delaware Beach

Rip currents off the coast of Volusia County can be particularly risky. Miller told WKMG-TV that many swimmers who enter dangerous waters "probably shouldn't be out there."

“We’ll see swimmers coming out because the swells are big,” the captain explained, “they grab boards out the rafters, the attics, clean the dust off and they go in the water.”

Related: Here's What to Know About Rip Currents — and What You Can Do to Stay Safe In One

An estimated 100 people are killed by rip currents each year, and rip currents account for more than 80 percent of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards, according to the United States Lifesaving Association.

If you find yourself caught in a rip current, the first step is to remain calm and avoid trying to fight through it.

"The most important thing to remember if you are ever caught in a rip current is not to panic," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service. "Continue to breathe, try to keep your head above water, and don't exhaust yourself fighting against the force of the current."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.