Lifeguards: Average summer so far before Aug. storms
The period between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend is regarded as the “busy season” for the resort towns of Rehoboth, Bethany and Ocean City as thousands upon thousands of people flock to the seaside towns every week to enjoy the area beaches.
Most people visiting will have a very enjoyable time as chances are the worst thing to happen is a bad sunburn or spending too much at the boardwalk.
However, for some, their trip to the beaches involves more than a little sunburn, including serious situations in the water.
That's when the lifeguards play their role.
During the summer season, it is expected that the lifeguards along the coast will conduct thousands of water rescues as well as treat those along the coast who may be suffering from dehydration or an injury received from playing in the surf.
As visitors relax and enjoy the local beaches, there are several factors to remember: the ocean can be very dangerous if its power is not respected and the sun can cause serious harm, through either bad burns or dehydration.
A look at the season thus far
During the busy summer season, lifeguards in Bethany, Rehoboth and Ocean City are on patrol keeping beach-goers safe. Every summer, these lifeguards save thousands of people from being hurt or killed and this season has been no different.
With July 16 marking the halfway point between the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend and the end of the Labor Day weekend, local beach lifeguards have had mixed reviews on how the current season is going as they prep for what is usually a busier second half of the season.
“It has been a garden variety season,” said Joe Donnelly, captain of the Bethany Beach Patrol. “It has been a nice summer. We have had some nice crowds and people have been enjoying themselves.”
For the Ocean City Beach Patrol, it has been a relatively smooth summer, as well.
“In terms of people who visit the beach it has been perfect for them,” said Mike Stone, a lieutenant with the Ocean City Beach Patrol. “It has been a really good summer for beach patrons.”
However, there is nothing routine about what the local area lifeguards do and a calm season at one beach does not indicate a calm season in others.
In Rehoboth Beach, it's been busy as usual.
“We got off to a rough start due to some rough surf in the beginning,” said Kent Buckson, captain of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol.
As keen as the eye of the beach patrols, experts are also agreeing that 2016 has been average.
Jeff Orrock, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia, said the season has been relatively normal thus far.
"Nothing has been out of the norm in terms of the weather," he said. "We have had a pretty quiet summer so far with not a lot of rough surf. We started off a little rough but it has calmed down a lot"
The Bethany Beach waters in July have been calm thus far, according to Donnelly, who attributed the calmer, flat water to a slow start to the Atlantic hurricane season.
Stone agreed that the waters have created a good atmosphere for beach-goers.
“In terms of people who visit the beach, it has been perfect for them,” Stone said. “It has been a really good summer for beach patrons.”
That being said, there are still many dangers beach-goers encounter other than drowning that require lifeguard attendance, such as exiting the ocean when the surf is rough.
Many folks get knocked over, Donnelly said.
Donnelly said many people can experienced ankle, knee, shoulder, head and neck injuries if they are knocked over by a wave as they escape the surf.“So when exiting the water make sure you are paying attention to the breaking waves,” he said. “You might need to wait a moment to find the right time to exit the water.”
Trying to reason with hurricane season
Despite the relatively calm weather in the month of July, lifeguards are prepping for what is normally a busy second half of the season.
The Bethany Beach Patrol makes between 450 and 500 saves per summer, Donnelly said, and most of these saves come in the second half of the season.
“The first half of July usually has flatter, calmer waters and in the second half we generally have pretty good crowds,” he said.
Just last year during the second weekend in August, 350 people had to be rescued from the water in Ocean City, Bethany and Rehoboth because of poor water conditions.
For more on last year's Aug. 8-9 weekend: Hundreds of beach rescues after rough water conditions
The main culprit for making waters rough are hurricanes, which can create rip currents and rough water.
“Even if a storm is hundreds of miles away it can send waves up the coast,” Donnelly said.
But a quite, calm season thus far does not mean the second half of the season will be the same, since the beginning of the season is normally calm, Orrock said.
"Hurricane activity doesn't peak until mid-September," he said. "The hurricane season will pickup in mid-August. For it to be quiet so far doesn't mean anything. We just have to see how things unfold in August and September."
Keeping current with rip current safety
One of the biggest threats to beach-goers are rip currents, which are strong currents of water that can drag swimmers out in the ocean.
“Typically, a rip current can be foamy, muddy or murky,” said Tom Gill, Public information officer for the United States Lifesaving Association. “They can really look different depending on the water around it.”
Rip currents are caused by a break in the sandbar offshore. This break creates a strong current which can extend 100 yards into the ocean.
“If it looks like there are waves breaking on two sides and there is nothing in the middle — it isn’t safe,” Gill said.
Rip currents pose a threat to swimmers because they drag swimmers away from the coast and, for someone who does not have experience fighting rip currents to do so, it can be a very dangerous situation. Because of this, it is recommended that swimmers do not swim at a beach without a lifeguard and, when the lifeguard is present, to swim close to the lifeguard.
Luckily, fighting a rip current is relatively easy.
“If you can float you can survive a rip current,” Gill said. “They do not pull you under.”
To escape a rip current, Gill said to swim at an angle out of the rip current until you either reach the sandbar or the shore.
“You can also just float and raise your arms and yell for help if you are at a lifeguarded beach,” Gill said. “Lifeguards are at an advantage because their stands are high up, which makes it easier to spot the rip current. It is almost impossible to see a rip current when you’re in the water until you’re in it.”
How to keep it cool and safe at the beach
As the season wears on, Buckson, Donnelly and Stone had some helpful tips for people as they prepare to spend a day on the beach.
“Given the recent heatwave, it is important to hydrate the night before and when you are on the beach,” Buckson said. “Make sure you drink water all day long, not just when you are thirsty because you could already be dehydrated.”
But perhaps the best way to stay safe at the beach is to swim near a lifeguard.
“Always swim near a lifeguard,” Donnelly said, “and check with a lifeguard on the current conditions for the day. The conditions change every day.”
Stone challenged beach-goers to take their safety one step further when swimming.
“Always swim near a lifeguard,” Stone said, “but even more importantly, only swim when a lifeguard is on duty. This doesn’t just apply to the beach but a pool, pond or lake, as well.”
The National Weather Service has also created an experimental beach forecast page. The webpage provides helpful information on what to do if you get stuck in a rip current, UV indexes for the beaches, rip current risk and ocean temperature as well as the normal forecast. The service is provided for both the state park and national park sides of Assateague, Ocean City, Fenwick, Bethany, Delaware Seashore State Park, Dewey, Rehoboth and Cape Henlopen among other beaches across the Untied States.
In terms of what creates the perfect beach day, Orrock said it varies from person to person.
"If you like the calm water, you want an off shore flow with a southwest wind coming off the beach, which creates calmer water," he said. "If you are a surfer you want a low pressure system off shore kicking up waves, but that can create rip currents."
rghughes@dmg.gannett.com