Dakota Jones

Dakota Jones and his daughter Brinnley.Credit : 

A father died in Florida while on his first family vacation with his wife and 14-month-old daughter.

On his last day in Florida with his wife and daughter Brinnley, as well as a few family friends, Dakota Jones, 31, drowned at Panama City Beach after getting caught in a sudden current, according to The Kansas City Star, Fox affiliate WDAF-TV and a GoFundMe set up on behalf of the family.

“He loved the beach, and it turned into our nightmare,” wife Skylar Biggs Jones told WDAF-TV.

“We were just going to dip our toes in one last time,” she added. “We all say we remember looking at all of us and just thinking ‘Oh my God we are having such a great time. We are all smiling and laughing.’ ”

View of Panama City Beach Florida, including the Pier

Panama City Beach in Florida.Getty

Although the group knew there was a red flag warning in place, initially the waves didn’t seem that bad.

Speaking with the Kansas City Star, Biggs Jones said the water was only up to her husband’s waist at the time.

By the time she noticed that the waves were growing stronger, Biggs Jones knew she needed to warn her husband, who was in the water with a family friend, but she wasn’t able to reach them in time, according to WDAF-TV.

“It happened so, so fast,” she told the outlet.

He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

When reached by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the City of Panama City Beach said that the distress call was made about a man struggling in the water just after 6:00 p.m. local time, about an hour after lifeguards went off duty for the day. The spokesperson also confirmed that a red flag warning was in place at the time, meaning swimming was extremely dangerous.

“The City of Panama City Beach is deeply saddened by this tragedy. This is a painful reminder of just how dangerous rip currents can be, even for experienced swimmers,” Daryl Paul, Beach Safety Director, said in a statement. “We urge all beach visitors to remain aware of Gulf conditions, swim near lifeguards whenever possible, and follow all posted flag warnings and safety instructions.”

Biggs Jones told WDAF-TV that since her husband’s death, their daughter waits by the door, like he was about to come home from work, but so far, the only thing she’d been able to tell her so far is “Daddy is still on vacation.”

Over $12,000 has been raised for the family via GoFundMe as of Wednesday, May 13.