NaN:NaN
Joy is now the founder and executive director of Float Don’t Fight -- a campaign dedicated to raising awareness on how to survive a rip current.
Through her initiative, Joy's message is to:
1. Bring a float to the beach
2. Grab a float before you run in
3. Be a float if you don’t have one.
\"Drowning is silent. I had to reverse-engineer and figure out what happened to me,\" Joy said, adding that she searched the internet to learn what occurred on the beach the day Austin died. \"I learned you're using all your air to stay afloat so it's hard to calmly call out, raise your hand for help. I didn't have that luxury.\"
Joy said she works with rescue crews and community members to spread her safety message. There's Float Don't Fight signage every 10 yards where the tragedy happened and Joy said she has plans to go global. The next step, she said, is to hopefully offer floats to beachgoers.
Joy said she's returning to Atlantic Beach this Memorial Day to meet with officials about expanding her initiative.
Gill, who works with public education, lifeguard training and helps provides safer beaches around the country through the USLA, also went to college with Joy and Austin. Gill began collaborating with Joy once he learned about Float Don't Fight.
\"If you can float, then you can survive,\" Gill told \"GMA.\" \"That's why her message resonates.\"
Gill said he often sees untrained rescuers become victims after they go into the water to help someone, though it's parental instinct wanting to save your child.
The best way to prevent more tragedies, he said, is education.
Here are best practices to stay out of rip currents or how to survive one, according to Gill:
Swim on a beach with lifeguards.
When planning a vacation, don't just search for a nice hotel and restaurants, Gill said. Research if the beaches have lifeguards, and if you're going in the water, make sure they're on duty.
If you find yourself in a rip current, don't panic.
If you can float, you can stay on top of the water. Relax, calm down, then yell and scream for help.
Lean on lifeguards.
If someone needs help out in the ocean, a lifeguard is the answer. Get a floatation device -- a boogie board, raft or surfboard -- to the person in trouble without putting yourself in danger too. Gill said untrained rescuers who do not have floatation devices will only add to the problem.
Look to resources in addition to Float Don't Fight.Weather.gov offers a brand new rip current modeling forecast. People can search rip currents and make better decisions about going to the beach and or going into the water.
For rip current stats, visit the USLA.org public education page.
Gill shared more tips for talking with children.
\"Keep your toes in the sand until there's lifeguard in the stand.\"
\"When in doubt don't go out.\" If the water looks rough, teach them to stay behind.
Look for red flags and check in with the lifeguard to ask what the colors mean.
\"Teach them that we want to prevent the rescue.\"
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Family/husband-died-save-kids-drowning/story?id=77904802","legacySlug":"/family/story/husband-died-save-kids-drowning-77904802","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"15:38","publishDate":"05-27-2021","updatedTime":"18:45","updatedDate":"05-27-2021","socialImage":{"alt":"Ali and Austin Joy of Ashland, Virginia, were on vacation in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, with their three children amid Father's Day weekend in 2018. Austin died while trying to save his two daughters from drowning in the ocean. Ali Joy is now the founder and executive director of Float Don’t Fight -- a campaign dedicated to raising awareness on how to survive a rip current.","credit":"Ali Joy/Float Don't Fight","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/husband-dies-save-kids-rip-current-ht-MAIN1-np-210527_1622123862699_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"5/27/2021 15:38:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":77904802,"headline":"Mom gives water safety tips after husband dies","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_My husband died trying to save our kids from drowning_210525","description":"\"Float don't fight.\"","duration":"NaN:NaN","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{},"playlist":["71663281","71533160","64263047"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"July 8, 2020","headline":"Experts warn that pools pose a different type of danger this summer","section":"living","slug":"/living/story/experts-warn-pools-pose-type-danger-summer-71663281","id":71663281,"image":{"alt":"Experts warn that pools pose a different type of danger this summer","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/pool-gty-er-200707_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"July 1, 2020","headline":"The controversial water safety technique that could save a baby from drowning ","section":"family","slug":"/family/story/controversial-water-safety-technique-save-baby-drowning-71533160","id":71533160,"image":{"alt":"The controversial water safety technique that could save a baby from drowning ","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/20200701issmaingma_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Krysta Meyer","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"May 25, 2020","headline":"I'm a mom who investigates drownings. Here are 10 water safety tips.","section":"family","slug":"/family/story/mom-investigates-drownings-posts-viral-plea-parents-water-64263047","id":64263047,"image":{"alt":"I'm a mom who investigates drownings. Here are 10 water safety tips.","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/mom-drowning-prevention-01-ht-jc-190711_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Courtesy Natalie Livingston","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Mom gives water safety tips after husband dies","description":"\"Float don't fight.\"","duration":"NaN:NaN","uploadDate":"05-27-2021","publication":"05-27-2021","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/husband-died-save-kids-drowning-77904802"}},"playlist":[{"id":"134041491","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134033809","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"78356537","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133929295","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133958398","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133882828","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133810954","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133779647","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133810835","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133749799","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133777519","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133748258","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133730535","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133712423","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133694181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133688738","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616358","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616342","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133522899","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133584123","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:family:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"family","title":"Mom gives water safety tips after husband dies","pubTime":"11:38","pubDate":"05-27-2021","modTime":"14:45","modDate":"05-27-2021","taxonomyTags":"none","id":77904802,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Mom gives water safety tips after husband dies","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_My husband died trying to save our kids from drowning_210525","videoId":77904802,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/family/story/husband-died-save-kids-drowning-77904802"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/77904802","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/77904802","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};