Hampton Beach Water Safety Day 2024: Kids team up with 'superhero' lifeguards

HAMPTON — The kids lined up along the rope tied to the “victim” in the water, ready to pull them ashore alongside the Hampton Beach Lifeguards.

Lifeguard Chief Patrick Murphy’s team of youngsters won the race, but State Parks Patrol Lt. Jeff Kelly said into a microphone over the PA system that both teams won.

“I like going out and saving people,” said Regan Molinari, one of the young kids enjoying Hampton Beach State Park's Water Safety Day.

Water Safety Day started in 2015 as a public outreach program to put the spotlight on water safety when visiting New Hampshire State Parks and their many oceanfront beaches, lakes, and rivers. The event included rescue demonstrations and drills, where children got to run, splash and play with men and women who guard the beach.

“Today’s the day especially, for our guards,” Murphy said. “They get to actually talk to the patrons, the people that come to our beach, show them what we do.”

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Water Safety Day is an annual Hampton Beach event

The day started with overcast skies, but the sun burst through the clouds by midday. Also on hand were members of Hampton fire and police, the U.S. Coast Guard and Seacoast Science Center’s Marine Mammal Rescue at informational booths talking with beachgoers.

“Every year it’s been bigger and better,” said Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Co. owner Dave Cropper, who had a booth at Water Safety Day. “The weather is working out again today.”

The day started at 11 a.m. with a rescue demonstration in which a group of mock victims waited in the water to be saved. A line of lifeguards rushed in, diving into the water. Beachgoers watched to see who pulled their victim back fastest.

The lifeguards organized a jet ski rescue demonstration and concluded the day with a game called "Beach Flags."

In this game, players race to grab a flag or baton placed several yards away in the sand, with the number of flags always being one less than the number of players.

Much of the day, however, was just hanging out by the water with the lifeguards. Parents watched as their kids ran in and out of the water. Several said they mark it on their calendars to bring their kids back each year.

Jenn Thibodeau of Plaistow came to Water Safety Day with her kids. She said this was the fourth year they attended, calling lifeguards good role models.

“Like a police officer, they see them as a superhero,” Thibodeau said. “Getting to interact with (lifeguards), they’re real people, and they’re having fun with them.”

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Lifeguards warn of cold water, rip currents

One common comment from kids at the beach Wednesday was about the temperature of the water.

“It’s freezing,” said 7-year-old Karlee Thibodeau after running out of the water with one of the lifeguards.

Gioia Fournier, 11, who has attended Water Safety Day since she was 6, agreed but mentioned it wasn’t so cold that she would stay out of the water.

According to Dave Cropper, owner of Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Co., the water temperature is cooler than usual for this time of summer due to westerly winds blowing warm water out to sea. The water in Hampton gained viral attention this month when a mother posted on social media about her 10-year-old son collapsing from what was believed to be hypothermia during a visit on the Fourth of July. She reported that her son recovered within two hours but required medical attention as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

Murphy said even when the temperature of the air is in the 80s and 90s, cold water temperature needs to be taken seriously. He said when the water is in the 50s, staying in for a long period could lead to hypothermia.

The symptoms, he said, sometimes appear to be that of heat exhaustion. He said sometimes that leads beachgoers to try and cool the person off.

“People try to put ice packs or cool them down,” Murphy said. “When really they need to warm up.”

Murphy advised beachgoers to find a lifeguard as soon as they see someone with symptoms like hypothermia, which can also include cool skin and incoherent speech.

Murphy also talked about the dangers of rip currents and what to do if you get caught in one.

A rip current is a powerful, narrow channel of fast-moving water that flows from the beach out to the ocean. These currents form between sandbars and can range from 20 to 100 yards in width. Despite their strength, Murphy mentioned that rip currents can appear deceptively calm.

Hampton Beach has seen fewer rip currents this summer than in past years.

“Because we’ve had so little swell so far, we haven’t seen them as strong as they’ve been,” Murphy said.

However, Murphy said that could change.

Murphy advised that if you get caught in a rip current, stay calm. Signal for help or swim parallel to the shoreline to escape the current.

“It’s something to be aware of at all times,” Murphy said.

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach lifeguards put spotlight on water safety