The summer season is in full swing, and beach safety officials are urging locals and visitors to stay cautious while visiting the beach.
Swimming in the Gulf can be dangerous, and tragedies are not uncommon during the busy season. On May 27, Destin Beach Safety officials and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Marine Units responded to the apparent drowning of a Georgia couple.
Witnesses reported seeing distressed swimmers about 75-100 yards offshore, according to OCSO. A bystander with a boogie board was able to pull their 26-year-old son to shore, but lifesaving measures were not successful on the mother and father.
Yellow flags were flying over the beaches that day, indicating moderate surf. Okaloosa Beach Safety Chief Rich Huffnagle said flags and weather conditions can change quickly, which is why it’s important to check before you head out.
“There’s a myriad of things that can happen out on the beach, so we’ve sort of instituted the ‘Know before you go’ (campaign),” he said. “In our county, you can text 44144, and that will give you current beach flag conditions. Know those flag conditions and know the weather, too.”
>>> Download the BEACON app for emergency alerts
Pensacola Beach Lifeguards send out daily surf warnings when you sign up by texting PBFLAGS to 888-777. In South Walton, you can text SAFETY to 31279 for conditions. Santa Rosa County also has information and live beach cam links on their website.
Here are some more beach safety tips:
Be cautious of the heat
Heat-related injuries are among the more common medical issues lifeguards see, said Huffnagle.
“A lot of people have underlying health conditions, and they come out here and don’t realize it’s about 120 degrees in the sand,” he said. “Know your limits. A lot of people are coming from cooler environments, and their body has to adjust.”
Huffnagle said to limit your time on the beach — give it an hour or two. Then, head into air conditioning to give your body a break from the heat.
Staying hydrated is also important. Huffnagle said you should treat going to the beach like training for an event.
“You want to hydrate the night before, especially if we're running 100-plus heat indices out here,” he said. “If you don't have anything in your tank, if you haven't had dinner the night before and haven't hydrated, you're going to be in trouble while here on the beach."
Know your swimming ability
If you’re not a strong swimmer, don’t go in the water above your knees, said Huffnagle.
“If you just go in to your knees and say, ‘that's a good beach day,’” he said. “Enjoy the sun and enjoy the water a little bit and, you know, try to avoid those things out on the beach that are going to get you in trouble.”
Even if the water looks calm, it can still be dangerous.
“Since the Gulf is a smooth body of water most of the time, it still drives the current,” explained Huffnagle. “You could have no surf, and there'll still be a current that's going to push you around. It's not a pool. It might just be a light, offshore wind. Well, that offshore wind is pushing you off the beach.”
You can also ask a lifeguard to advise you on safer spots to get in the water.
“Most lifeguards will direct you in a location that's either on top of them so they can be looking at your activity, or put you high on a sandbar away from you know, rip currents if they're flashing,” he said.
Mind the flags
On the beaches and online, you can easily find information on the beach warning flags. The flag you want to see, of course, is a green flag indicating calm conditions. When you see double red flags, the water is closed to the public. Ordinances from Walton County to Escambia County are in place to restrict swimming. Violators of the ordinances could be subject to fines.
“If you’re a weak swimmer or non-swimmer, and red flags are flying, don’t go in,” said Huffnagle. “Even if it’s yellow flags.”
Spotting a distressed swimmer
Lifeguards are constantly watching for unusual activity. And there are a lot of cues that they look for when it comes to checking on swimmers. If you’re at the beach with loved ones, it’s not always obvious to detect when someone is struggling in the water.
“One is if they're looking towards the shore at you, most people will not do that. They'll be interested in the activity they're doing,” said Huffnagle. “If people will not brush their hair out of their face, that's an indication that they're concentrating on survival rather than getting the hair out of their eyes.”
Someone paddling in the water but making no forward progress can also be a sign of distress.
“Some people don't even know that that's happening. That's a cause of concern,” said Huffnagle. “People flipping over means they're tired. If you see somebody on a crawl stroke and they flip over to a double arm backstroke, they're tired. That's a cause for concern.”
Caught in a rip? Stay calm
If you do get caught in a rip current, the important thing is to not fight it, but to stay calm.
"We train the kids, let the rip do what it needs to do,” said Huffnagle. “Tread water, don't panic. When it releases you, (it) releases you into what they call the head of the rip, which is the disbursement of water after it comes out of that sandbar. And once that happens, then you're free to sort of navigate.”
As with any situation, call for help if you need it. That’s what the lifeguards are there to do.
