Hampton Beach, Rye lifeguards make 101 rescues in 2 days. Advice for beachgoers here.
HAMPTON — Sea conditions last weekend led to scores of people being rescued along New Hampshire shores. Beachgoers are being advised to swim with care and pay attention to lifeguards.
According to Chief Lifeguard Patrick Murphy, guards from Rye to Hampton Beach rescued 101 people at state beaches on Saturday and Sunday, June 25-26, most the result of rip currents.
“The surf was high, the water was warm and there were a lot of people in the water,” Murphy said. “It led to a very busy weekend.”
When the conditions are right, he said, rip currents can pop up at any time at any open sandy beach, like Hampton. They relate to the way the ocean reacts to the contours along the sea floor, Murphy said, and that’s always changing. They can come about quickly and, as in a flash rip current, last for 30 seconds or a minute or two.
And in 30 seconds, a swimmer can get pulled pretty far out to sea.
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According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Today website, a rip current is a narrow, fast-moving channel of water that starts near the beach and pulls offshore through a line of waves.
Fortunately, Murphy said, local lifeguards are familiar with the seas they patrol along the Granite State’s coastline and can recognize the conditions that lead to rip currents and spot them when they occur.
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That’s why Murphy recommends that before swimming, beachgoers, especially those with children, take a minute to consult with the men and women on duty at the state beaches before jumping in the water. Lifeguards can offer alerts on any problematic areas that day and suggest places for children to swim.
As rip currents appear, lifeguards try to close off those areas and move swimmers to other water that’s safer.
“People should listen to the lifeguards because they’re trying to keep you safe not ruin your day,” Murphy said. “They want to place people in safe areas to swim.”
If swimmers find themselves in a rip current, experts advise not attempting to swim directly to shore, which uses up a lot of energy. Those caught up in a rip current should try to stay calm, stay afloat and call and wave for help. The current’s dynamic is to pull swimmers out to sea, not under water.
Those who want to try to swim out of a rip current should swim along, or parallel to, the shoreline until the pull of the current dissipates, then swim to shore at an angle.
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Lifeguards are your friend
Not all rescues relate to rip currents. Some are due to people venturing out beyond their water skills.
“We only allow chest-deep bathing at Hampton Beach,” Murphy said. “That’s why you’ll hear us whistle to call people in if they’ve gone out too far. They need to be able to touch bottom.”
Murphy recommends children remain in water that’s no higher than waist-deep, and young children should always be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Laying out the family blanket near a lifeguard stand is a good idea if kids are in the group, he said, and it isn’t a bad idea to introduce children to lifeguards.
“Lifeguards are the people who can help if anything goes wrong,” Murphy said. “Tell kids to check in with lifeguards if they’re lost.”
New Hampshire’s lifeguards provide beach safety and rescue services to visitors of the Granite State’s beaches at Hampton, North Hampton, Jenness and Wallis Sands, both at Rye.
Lifeguards are on duty on Hampton’s main beach from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at North Beach from 10:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Wallis Sands from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and at North Hampton State Beach and Jenness from 10:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach NH and Rye lifeguards make 101 rescues in one weekend
