JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – The weather is heating up, which is usually a sign for beachgoers to prepare to hit the waters.
It’s also a sign that lifeguards will be on alert to help swimmers who may become distressed from getting caught in a rip current, which is a strong channel of fast-moving water that flows away from the beach to the open ocean.
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Sometimes distressed swimmers start to panic to the point that it exhausts all of their energy.
Florida is home to the most rip current deaths in the United States, according to the National Weather Service.
Last year, 82 people across the county died after they were caught in a rip current at the beach — 31 of which were in Florida.
But there is only so much a lifeguard can do. That’s when the Coast Guard is called in.
Petty Officer First Class Michael Baldi is a search and rescue boat operator at Coast Guard Station Mayport. Baldi said as more people come to the beach so does the amount of rescue calls the Coast Guard receives.
“We’ll often get calls either from a 911 dispatch or through the lifeguards about a swimmer in distress that might have been caught in a rip current and cannot safely make it back to shore,” he said.
Baldi explained the best recommendations for swimmers to stay safe while having fun in the sun.
- Check the local forecast before going to the beach
- Swim near a lifeguard station
- Ask a lifeguard about current water hazards before entering
- If you’re stuck in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore until you exit the current then swim diagonally back to shore
While this is the time when more people will hit the beaches, it’s also the time of year when more boaters are on the water.
Baldi said the Coast Guard will also see a rise in calls involving a boat taking on water.
“It is more common than one would think. Just as simple as forgetting a boat plug or maybe someone struck a submerged object and now there is a hole in their vessel,” Baldi said.
Occasionally, the Coast Guard faces fatal boating accidents. According to Baldi, in 75% of all fatal boating accidents, the person who drowned was not wearing a safety vest.
The Coast Guard urges boaters to ensure they have vests handy in case something bad happens on the water.