Swimmer Still Missing Off Sullivan's Island|ABC News 4

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Swimmer Still Missing Off Sullivan's Island

07/09/09 9:37 pm | reporter: Josh Cascio producer: Ray Rivera

search tags: swimmer • rescue • sullivans island

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ABC News 4 - Swimmer Still Missing Off Sullivan's Island

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Sullivan's Island - What started out as any other relaxing day on Sullivan’s Island quickly turned into a beach goers worst nightmare.

"We were swimming fairly shallow in the water, the current was strong one minute there was nothing, the next we heard some screams," said witness Tonya Sammon.

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The screams were coming from two friends who found themselves in trouble in the water around 4 o'clock. Fire officials say they were both women visiting from out of the state.

"They went in the water at station 27 or 28 on the beach trying to swim to the sandbar and the tide was going out, that current is 27 -28 knots," Sullivan’s Island Fire Chief Anthony Stith said.

Someone who saw them, dialed 911. Matt Ostrica says he acted on instinct; he dove in and swam about 100 yards fighting against the current to help the struggling swimmers. He was able to pull one to safety.

"It felt like 2 miles trying to get out there and worse trying to get back in," he said.

"Last she saw she was throwing up in the water and she told her to lie on her back and hopefully float and try to make it," he added.

Since the initial rescue crews have had not been able to find the second swimmer.

"The area we searched was all the way from the end of the island to the jetties and that's 12 miles and back in," Chief Stith said.

As more and more time passes survival becoming less likely, crews changing their tactics from a rescue operation to a recovery mission.

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