WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH -- A 2015 study conducted by the National Weather Service in Wilmington showed rip currents were responsible for 50 percent of surf zone-related deaths, but one Wilmington native is hoping to help decrease that number.
William Jackson is the inventor of the Buoy Buddy, a device designed to keep people safe if they are caught in a rip current.
He says most people panic when they are in that situation, but his device is simple and easy to use.
"It's basically modeled after the airplane life vest inflation tube, and it doesn't have any restriction in airflow and takes about three breaths to inflate. So you take the device, tuck it under your arm or on your chest and you can use your arms to tread water or swim to shore," said Buoy Buddy inventor, William Jackson.
If caught in a rip current, life guards advise swimmers to stay calm and swim parallel to the shore.