The beach in Costa Rica where Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned was known for its strong surf and dangerous rip currents, and was not protected by lifeguards when he died on Sunday. A second man who was rescued from the sea that day was treated at a clinic and discharged, the authorities said.

Warner, who shot to fame as a teenager when he played Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992, was swimming at a beach on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, south of Limón, when he was “apparently swept away by a current” around 2 p.m. on Sunday, the nation’s Judicial Investigation Department said in a statement.

Three ambulances, a jet ski and nine rescuers were dispatched to the area, Playa Grande, a popular tourist destination, a spokesman for the Costa Rican Red Cross said in a statement. Warner, 54, was pulled from the sea and given CPR for more than 20 minutes, but attempts to resuscitate him failed, officials said.

A second man, according to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, was rescued by a companion after apparently trying to save a girl at sea. The authorities identified him as a 29-year-old Nicaraguan after previously saying he was 35.

The area, whose waves make it a favorite among surfers, is known for dangerously strong rip currents.

Mike Geist, the vice president of Caribbean Guard, a group of about 35 volunteer lifeguards who patrol three beaches in the area, said a lack of resources had left the beach where Warner died unguarded on Sunday. The group had temporarily moved its team to another beach that draws more people and had recently been the site of several rescues and a fatality.

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