By admin 
A father and his son died together in the Atlantic early Sunday off southeastern North Carolina, according to police.
Read more California has some of the most treacherous hiking trails in the nation
It happened near the 1100 block of Ocean Boulevard West in Holden Beach, which is about a 165-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.
The two men have been identified as 46-year-old Daniel Jason Roberts and 20-year-old Dylan Daniel Roberts, both of Lenior, police said.
“At approximately 9:43 a.m. … Brunswick County Communications received a report of two adults in distress in the ocean,” Police Chief Steve P. Barger said in an Aug. 3 news release.
“Police, fire and EMS personnel responded immediately and initiated rescue and advance life support efforts. Despite those efforts, both individuals were pronounced deceased.”
The two were father and son, according to social media post by Dylan Roberts’ wife, Maggie Day. The couple married in May.
“I woke up just hurting for you and your dad. You guys didn’t deserve this,” Day wrote. “I can’t believe we lost both of you.”
Read more Nolan Wells case: Chilling death threats from Illinois lead to third arrest
Dylan Roberts worked at Town Tavern in Blowing Rock, which announced it was closing Monday “to mourn the heartbreaking loss.”
A cause of death for the two men has not been released.
Most deaths in the ocean off North Carolina are drownings attributed to rip currents, which are narrow channels of fast-moving water that flow away from beaches, experts say.
“Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer,” NOAA reports.
“Panicked swimmers often try to counter a rip current by swimming straight back to shore — putting themselves at risk of drowning because of fatigue. Lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the U.S. every year.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2026 at 4:58 AM with the headline “Father and son die in the ocean off popular NC tourist destination, police say.”
Read more Sacramento’s weekend recap: Japanese culture bazaar returns, goat herders wage crisis