A drowning and a flurry of surf rescues and injured or stung swimmers at beaches in Brevard County, Fla., forced police officers and fire rescue officials to leave the streets Tuesday to assist overwhelmed lifeguards.

Lifeguards in Cocoa Beach, Fla., said strong rip currents, Portuguese man-o-wars and shark encounters are presenting the "perfect storm" of dangerous conditions for swimmers in the county during this year's spring break.

"The beach patrol is so swamped with rip current rescues that police and fire rescue are flooding the beach," Local 6's Bob Frier said.

"It is definitely an assault of all types," Brevard County Rescue Wyatt Werneth said. "We have had onshore winds which present the rip currents as well as man-o-wars being washed in and stinging people and having them sent to the hospital with stings. We have had shark encounters. You name it and Mother Nature is throwing it at us."

Edward Hooker, 69, of Sterling Heights, Mich., was pulled to shore by witnesses about 1:30 p.m., rescue officials said. He was transported to Cape Canaveral Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Hooker and his wife had been in Florida since Christmas and planned to go home this weekend, his son Jeffrey Hooker told Florida Today of Melbourne via telephone from Michigan.

Over the weekend, more than 30 people were pulled from the heavy surf and 13 others were rescued by lifeguards Monday.

Besides the regular flag warnings for rip currents and man-o-wars, the beach patrol has roped off areas where rip currents are too dangerous.

"The water temperature is 74 degrees so it is inviting and folks want to jump out there and get into it but it is very, very hazardous," Local 6's Tom Sorrells said. "Stay on shore if you can, unless you are an exceptionally strong swimmer, you want nothing to do with that water."

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.