A 16-year-old swimmer died Monday afternoon after disappearing in choppy Gulf waters near the 2nd Avenue North beach access in Naples.
The Naples Police Department and Naples Fire-Rescue Department received a report of a missing swimmer at approximately 2:08 PM. Initial reports indicated the teenager had been swimming in rough, choppy waters when he disappeared from view.
A county-wide Marine Emergency Response Team was activated to help locate him. At approximately 2:25 PM, seventeen minutes after the first call, the teenager was found in the surf and pulled from the water. He was unresponsive and not breathing. CPR was started immediately at the scene. He was transported to an area hospital where he could not be resuscitated.
The teenager's name has not been released. Additional details about the circumstances are still being gathered by authorities.
🌊 Beach Safety This Time of Year
July and August bring the roughest surf conditions of the year to Naples beaches. Summer afternoon storms generate strong onshore winds and wave action, and Gulf currents shift unpredictably during the rainy season. Conditions that look manageable from the shore can change quickly in the water.
The new North Collier Fire Rescue lifeguard program, which launched July 1 at Vanderbilt Beach, represents the first professional beach lifeguard coverage on a Collier County Gulf beach in decades. The 2nd Avenue North beach access, where Monday's incident occurred, is in the City of Naples, a separate jurisdiction from North Collier Fire's coverage area.
If you or someone you're with gets into trouble in the water, wave one arm above your head to signal distress. Don't fight the current; swim parallel to shore to exit a rip current before swimming in. Call 911 immediately for any water emergency.
Naples News Network will update this story as the Naples Police Department releases additional information.
Information sourced from the Naples Police Department press release and WINK News reporting by Nicholas Karsen, July 28, 2026.
