A Pennsylvania couple tragically drowned after being caught in a rip current off Hutchinson Island, Florida, as reported by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook.

Brian Warter, 51, and Erica Wishard, 48, were vacationing with their combined family of eight when they went swimming with their teens on Thursday afternoon.

Witnesses reported that they stepped into a rip tide and were swiftly overwhelmed by the ocean’s force.

Despite heroic efforts by their children and rescue teams, including Martin County Ocean Rescue and paramedics from Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital, the couple could not be revived.

The teens, who managed to escape the current and swim ashore, were deeply traumatized by witnessing their parents’ ordeal, CNN has reported.

Rip currents are powerful currents that flow seaward from the shore, posing significant danger even to strong swimmers.

They are a common cause of beach rescues, according to the United States Life Saving Association and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Written by B.C. Begley