SURFSIDE BEACH, Texas – Search crews are still combing the waters off Surfside Beach more than 24 hours after a 11-year-old boy was swept away while swimming.
Joshua Lahai of Richmond went missing Sunday at approximately 5 p.m. while at the beach with his family and his youth football team. Surfside Beach Police Chief Philip Hester told KPRC 2 Monday evening that the effort shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission.
OUR FIRST REPORT: Recovery efforts underway at Surfside Beach after 11-year-old boy from Richmond swept under water by wave Sunday evening
Police say Joshua was swimming with a friend when he went under and was swept away. The U.S. Coast Guard, multiple law enforcement agencies and Texas EquuSearch have been searching for him ever since
Tim Miller, the founder of Texas EquuSearch, has been on the ground since Sunday night. He told KPRC 2 he spoke with Joshua’s family several times.
“We just met with the family again and let them know that we’re not giving up. Conditions aren’t nearly as good as we’d like them to be. The family actually seen him out there and seen him go down. And so they’re devastated,” Miller said.
When asked about what may have pulled Joshua under, Miller pointed to multiple factors.
“They think it’s a combination of currents, the sandbar, the waves and not knowing,” Miller said.
Despite the dire circumstances, Miller says he is holding onto hope.
“We believe in miracles and it has to be a hell of a miracle, but I think from witness sightings and everything, the most we can hope for is to get him recovered before the day’s over,” Miller said.
The search has been complicated by the Memorial Day holiday, which drew hundreds of people to the beach — many unaware of the ongoing operation just steps away.
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Surfside Beach Police Chief Hester is urging anyone planning a trip to the beach to take the water conditions seriously.
“The water is not safe. I can’t tell what’s under the water, so you’re out there walking and you might be in water that’s two-foot deep and then fall into a hole that’s 10-foot deep. It’s just not safe,” Hester said.
He also warned about a false sense of security that beach conditions can create.
“People look at the waves and think it’s safe and they go further out. But once you get to the third sandbar, you’re 200, 300 feet out there and we can’t even see you anymore,” Hester said.
Miller says he made a promise to Joshua’s family — he will remain at Surfside Beach until Joshua is found.