Officials to spring-breakers: Good weather, yes, but rip currents threaten Brevard beaches

For more than a week, crowds have packed Melbourne Beach, wading in the warm blue waters off the Space Coast, basking in the sun and catching the occasional rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center.

Along Cocoa Beach, sunbathers in recent days have fanned out in pre-pandemic numbers at the Cocoa Beach Pier to play in the picture-perfect water and surf just yards away from the nearby concrete canyon of condominiums.

But there is a threat lurking beneath the inviting waters along the county’s 72-mile coastline, said Brevard County Ocean Rescue Lifeguard Chief Eisen Witcher.

“It’s the rip currents,” Witcher said. “With all of the storms, the shoreline hasn’t settled.”

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So far since November, six people  — including a New York soccer coach who struggled to save his children from the rough surf and a 17-year-old girl caught in powerful waves  — have died after being overpowered by rip currents along the county’s beaches. All the deaths happened at unguarded beaches.

Now Witcher and other officials guarding the county's beaches are stepping up efforts as thousands more visitors, including out-of-towners and students who may not be aware of the dangers of rip currents, pack the parks and the shore lured by the promise of good weather.

There will be mobile patrols rolling along the sand at some of the more seasonal locations along the Indialantic boardwalk and Ocean Avenue, dotted with ice cream shops and pizzerias.

Part of the concern is that the Space Coast has seen just one major cold snap amid warmer temperatures. Also at play: Damages to Volusia and Indian River County beaches have sent more people into Brevard to enjoy its shorelines, officials said.

During November and December, county lifeguards saw nearly 200 rescues.

“Due to the unprecedented number of ocean rescues in November and December, Brevard County Ocean Rescue was granted the extension of additional seasonal lifeguards to ensure adequate coverage and to respond to the abnormal amount of off-season rescues,” said Don Walker, spokesperson for Brevard County.

Spring break formally begins next week in Brevard but crowds have been hitting the beach in droves since last week, Witcher said.

“We’re expecting to see the maximum capacity, thousands. All of the parking will be taken,” he said.

The county’s five guarded beaches - staffed by 20 to 25 lifeguards - include the Cocoa Beach Pier, Shepard Park, Lori Wilson Park, Minuteman Causeway, Paradise/Futch Beach and Melbourne Beach.

The weather will be near perfect, with temperatures hovering in the low to mid-80s, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. On Saturday, the highs will be near 80 degrees with a 20% chance of rain. Sunday, the winds will pick up, with gusts of 15 to 20 mph and a high of 82 degrees, weather officials say.

“As we head into another warm week, Ocean Rescue is advising the public to swim at a guarded beach,” Walker said, stressing that beachgoers should not go to the beach alone and should monitor rip current conditions.

If caught in a rip current, swimmers should swim parallel to the shore and not panic, officials warned.

“We’re telling everyone to check in with our lifeguards, look at our flags, know the risks,” Witcher said.

“And if you swim, swim near the towers."

J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Spring break: Brevard lifeguards warn caution at beach for riptide