On July 24th, Kevin Emerson, 33, was playing in the surf with three children when the tide pulled them out between 50 and 150 yards into the ocean. Another family member entered the water and rescued two of the children; Emerson retrieved the third and tossed him to other family members who swam the boy safely to shore. Shortly thereafter, the tide took Emerson back out to sea. Efforts to reach him were unsuccessful. A park visitor, hearing cries of distress, grabbed his boogie board and went into the ocean to assist Emerson. The visitor was struggling when Student Conservation Association aid Ryan Hamilton jumped into the surf, swam out to his location, and helped swim Emerson to shore. Hamilton, wildlife biologist Jeff Cordes and four visitors performed CPR on Emerson until the arrival of a medical evacuation helicopter from Cherry Point Naval Air Station. Emerson was transported to Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 1 p.m. The accident is still under investigation.
