Man who drowned off Assateague identified
A man drowned in an unguarded segment of the Assateague Island National Seashore, park officials stated.
In late afternoon of Tuesday, August 30, Charles "Chuck" Poole, 45 of Trappe, Pennsylvania, was swimming with his 16-year-old just south of the life guarded portion of the beach on the Maryland side of Assateague, Assateague Island Education Coordinator Liz Davis said.
"There were some surfers out there who saw him floating in the water and were able to drag him in," Davis said.
Two lifeguards from a nearby stand performed CPR in an attempt to revive Poole before transferring him to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, where he was pronounced dead.
Poole's son made it to shore and was uninjured during the incident.
Davis said that poor weather conditions are partially responsible for the incident, and for swimmers to be vigilant before getting into the water.
READ MORE: Coast Guard: Mariners be aware of severe weather
"Tropical Storm Gaston is currently happening, and that has created some choppy conditions in the water," Davis said.
Gaston is currently about 630 miles east of Bermuda, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, and has shown some signs of slowing down in recent days, with NOAA stating that it poses little threat to continental land. However, the storm, which boasts sustained 100 mile per hour winds, has caused choppy surf conditions.
Sgt. Matt Postell of Ocean City Beach Patrol said that over the course of the day on Aug. 30, 82 people were rescued from the water.
"The weather's pretty clear, but there's pretty heavy surf as a result of the storm," Postell said.
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In Ocean City, none of the 82 rescued were injured or killed.
Davis said that for anyone swimming in the waters to remain aware.
"We want people to know if they're coming down to Assateague or are planning to, to be aware of the weather and conditions, and to stay vigilant, " Davis said.