Gulf of Mexico looks inviting but can be deadly. It doesn't have to happen.

Marisa Calondis and her husband live in New Orleans, but often vacation on Pensacola Beach because Marisa’s mother lives in nearby Navarre.

They set up their chairs, towels and umbrella near the the lifeguard stands and they know to be cautious when yellow flags are flying like they were on Friday − or to stay out of the water altogether on a red flag day.

“Since I was little, we would always go to the beach and I definitely knew about it,” said Marisa Calondis. “We always read the signs and look at the flags and know how to get out of rip currents.”

It was a lesson Marisa learned the hard way. Her mother, Renee Calondis, said their family was vacationing on another beach in Florida when Marisa was about 10 and they had a scary close call.

“She got sucked out into a rip current and she could not get back in,” remembered Renee Calondis. “We didn't know at that time you’ve got to swim parallel to the shore, so my sister's boyfriend went out and saved her. We learned a lot after that event because we really were not aware of everything that can happen. You're always worried about sharks, but you don't really think about riptides or anything like that.”

Sadly, many visitors and locals forget or are unaware of the dangers of rip currents. Six tourists drowned in four days this June, after swimming in the Gulf of Mexico around the Panama City Beach area.

Escambia County is also no stranger to tragic drowning incidents. This past May, lifeguards worked a resuscitation call on Langdon Beach, in the Fort Pickens area, but despite life-saving efforts the man died.

Last year a 16-year-old boy from Atlanta, Bryce Brooks, died trying to save four young kids in Perdido Key. A mother and two children also drowned last year swimming near Barrancas Beach on NAS Pensacola. Investigators say it appeared all three were swept away by currents and could not make it back to shore.

According to Escambia County Water Safety Chief Dave Greenwood, so far this year Escambia County has seen 208 water rescues and assists. Those numbers are on track with last year’s numbers, which saw 275 water rescues and assists during the tourist season that runs from March 1 through October, as far as staffing beaches with lifeguards.

Greenwood said it’s an ongoing effort to make visitors and locals aware of the dangers of rip currents. They utilize the flag warning system, social media, and regular vehicle patrols along Pensacola Beach, as well as lifeguards.

Nearly 60 lifeguards are on staff currently on Pensacola Beach and five now man Perdido Key. They were added to Beach Access #2 and Johnson’s Beach after last year’s tragedy.

Greenwood said the most difficult part is often getting people to listen or pay attention to the warnings. Last week alone lifeguards documented more than 10,000 preventative actions, or verbal warnings given to people to stay out of the water because double-red flags were flying for four days.

“Signage is passive,” explained Greenwood. “You have to make an active connection with an individual, explain to them and sometimes you have to be assertive. It’s really a learning experience for most of our young lifeguards because some of them are under the age of 18, and they have to go down and tell an adult male who's here with his family from Missouri or someplace that you can't go in the water. People visiting from out-of-state don’t want to hear that because they came to swim and enjoy the beach.”

Sixteen-year-old Rigby Whiteley is one of the lifeguards on staff at Pensacola Beach. She loves her job, but says it can be challenging when people don’t want to hear they can’t go in the water.

“I haven't had to rescue somebody yet, but I've had to go in and talk to people,” said Whiteley. “Sometimes people don't really want to listen and so you have to just keep on repeating and but it's not too bad.”

Greenwood said if swimmers do encounter a strong rip current the best response is not to panic and not to fight the current. You should swim parallel to the shore or float. Floating will help you save your energy because the current will eventually taper off and swimmers can make it back to shore.

He encourages people to also swim near lifeguards. They’ll have additional staff on duty for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, as well as the Blue Angels beach show.

“We do as much as we can and we try to get the message out, but water is not like fire,” said Greenwood. “You stay away from fire, but water, the risk is much more subtle and hidden. Most often when you go in the gulf or you go in an open body of water sometimes it's not until you're really in trouble that you realize, ‘Dang, I'm really in trouble here.”

The Calondis family is grateful they learned their lesson without tragic results. They say Pensacola Beach is their favorite place to relax and enjoy their family.

“I love Pensacola Beach,” said Renee Calondis. “It’s beautiful and I like all the bars and restaurants being so close to the beach. It makes it easy to come down and vacation.”

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia lifeguards face angry tourists, rough surf to help beachgoers