Lifeguards and rescue boats, plus several helicopters searched from the time he went down just past 1 p.m. to sunset. One guy said he almost caught the man, being only 10 feet away. The body was positively identified because of tattoos. Residents from the community of Sunset Beach offered to share their homes as temporary lodging to Castro's family members during the search. In Sunset Beach Post Office, discussion of the drowning and stories about other events, including successful rescues by local residents, helped ease the pain of another tragedy.
Sunset Beach is a favorite spot for wind surfing, sunbathing and swimming.
It is also a region which routinely experiences sand and beach erosion and flooding during winter high tides. Every five years, Sunset Beach and Surfside have sand added to the beaches. Click images below to see enlargements.