A 14-year-old boy who went under while trying to swim across a channel between Waukegan Harbor and the city’s beach at about 6 p.m. Friday was in “extremely critical” condition after being located and pulled from the water by a Waukegan Fire Department diver, a department spokesman said.

Fire Marshal Steve Lenzi said the teen was one of four young men who attempted to cross from a breakwall near Stiner Pavilion off the south end of Municipal Beach to another bordering the harbor. He added that while one made it across and was helped from the water by passersby, two stayed on the Municipal Beach side, and they saw the teen go under water.

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Allyson Henning reports on the graduation of swimmers at Raines High School.

An increasing number of lifeguard organizations around the world are turning to drone technology to help speed up rescue efforts for when swimmers get into difficulties.

Australia, Germany, and Iran are three such countries that have rescue drones ready to take to the skies in an emergency. And it’s not just their speed in carrying flotation devices to struggling swimmers that makes them so useful. Their onboard cameras also enable the drone pilot to survey the scene and relay important information to lifeguards who are on their way to help.

The latest demonstration of just how effective drones can be for ocean rescues came this week in the sea off Sagunto, about 15 miles north of Valencia, Spain.

When a lifeguard spotted bathers caught in an undertow about 70 meters from the shore, the Auxdron Lifeguard Drone was quickly deployed to help out, sUASnews reported.

Initially receiving guidance from a lifeguard in an observation tower, drone pilot Diego Torres flew the quadcopter toward the distressed swimmers.

“I had a general location but with the help of the lifeguard giving me instructions and the video feed from the drone, we were on top of them within the minute,” Torres told sUASnews.

A quick assessment via the livestream revealed that one woman in the group was having particular difficulties in the water, with the other swimmers trying to support her in the choppy surf. Torres responded by releasing one of the drone’s two life vests, lowering it on a tether to within reach of the swimmers. When it touches the water, the vest disconnects from the tether and automatically inflates before being used to help the woman.

A short while later, lifeguards arrive on a Jet Ski to take the woman back to shore. The drone, which was built by Spanish startup GeneralDrones, stays hovering in the air, relaying information about the condition of the remaining swimmers back to lifeguards as the rescue effort continues.

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