Man dies struggling to reach Outer Banks beach after wave flips boat, NC park says

A boater died over the Memorial Day weekend after a rogue wave threw him into the Atlantic Ocean and he tried swimming to Cape Lookout National Seashore off North Carolina, according to the National Park Service.

The man has been identified as Conen Morgan, 42, of Raleigh, the park said in an update.

It happened around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, May 28, as three people were traveling in a rented boat south of the Shackleford Banks, park officials said in a news release.

“While underway, the boat took a wave that did not completely capsize the vessel but ejected all three passengers,” officials said.

“The three ejected passengers made it to Shackleford Banks. Upon reaching the beach, one male victim in his mid-forties collapsed around the wave line. The two remaining passengers were unable to move the victim. The victim was unresponsive, so the other passengers started CPR and dialed 911 at 4:47 PM.”

Park rangers arrived minutes later via boat and ATV, and moved the man up the beach, where life-saving measures were attempted. CPR was halted after an hour, officials said. Members of the Harkers Island and Beaufort fire departments also assisted.

A death investigation is underway, with the National Park Service taking the lead. A cause of death has not been released.

The boating mishap, which occurred outside the park jurisdiction, happened as the coast was seeing storm conditions, including swells between 7 to 9 feet, the park reports.

The Shackleford Banks is a barrier island at the southern tip of/ Cape Lookout National Seashore, accessible only by boat. It is home to a herd of feral horses.

This story was originally published May 30, 2023 at 4:35 AM with the headline "Man dies struggling to reach Outer Banks beach after wave flips boat, NC park says."