Near drowning in Pensacola Beach

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. - It was Krishna Singh's first swim in the Gulf of Mexico and it may have been his last. He said, "I was just playing out here, unknowingly water was coming toward beach, i got sucked into water."

He went in for a swim, and a rip current pulled him out. He said, "It was like, there was no ground beneath my legs, I was not able to swim." His friends tried to help, but they couldn't get to him. Luckily, lifeguards were close by.

They rushed to the scene and pulled him out of the water within minutes. Even though we're in the middle of winter, this is just what lifeguards worry about.They've had several rescues recently and they've been warning people to stay out of the water.

Lifeguard Council Vaughan said, "Few times this winter we get really warm days and when that couples with rough surf, just because its chilly doesn't mean the water is any less dangerous. "

Lifeguard Tips:

• Always swim near a life guard
• Stay away from sandbar areas, that's where rip currents are
• Watch the Flags

Color-coded flags are used to warn swimmers, and lifeguards say you need to follow them:

• A GREEN flag means that the water is calm. The undertow is slight to non-existent and it is safe to swim using the proper amount of caution.
• A YELLOW flag indicates the presence of light surf or currents and additional caution should be used while swimming in the Gulf.
• A RED flag indicates the presence of strong surf and currents. Swimming in these conditions is not recommended as it presents a very high hazard to all swimmers.
• A DOUBLE RED flag means that the water is closed to the public! No one is allowed in the water when a double red flag is posted.
• A PURPLE flag indicates the presence of marine pest in the water such as jellyfish, stingrays or dangerous fish.