SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. -- A father and his 6-year-old son drowned at a beach in northern California over the weekend, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. CBS San Francisco reports three children were playing in shallow water around 2:30 p.m. Sunday when a strong undertow swept a boy out to sea off the coast of Goat Rock State Beach.

The boy's father was unsuccessful in saving his son, Coast Guard Lt. J.G. Emily Rowan said.

"It was pretty shallow water, but the undertow was so strong," Rowan said. "It's an unfortunate situation."

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Two helicopters and two Coast Guard boats responded to the scene.

Both bodies were recovered from the water. Paramedics, however, were unable to resuscitate the victims.

The pair had been in the water for about an hour before rescuers got them to shore, Rowan said.

The victims' identities are being withheld pending family notification.