A mother and her son were saved from certain death when a college sophomore spotted the duo struggling in a rip current at Topsail Beach on the North Carolina coast. The incident happened over the July 4th holiday weekend, and a drone operated by the rescuer’s friend caught everything on camera.
Rip currents are a deadly threat in North Carolina. These channelized currents of water flowing away from the shore can rapidly increase in speed. As a result, swimmers have been unexpectedly pulled away from shore very quickly. Even strong swimmers can get tired of trying to swim against a rip current.
This is why Raleigh resident Ashley Batchelor and her 10-year-old son Conner were extremely lucky to have been spotted by 18-year-old Travis Shrout when a powerful rip current swept the duo into the ocean on July 3.
There were no lifeguards on the beach when the incident happened. Travis was in the water with a bodyboard to help his friend Thad Unkefe practice subject tracking…
