Safer start to 2022 tourist season in Walton County: No drownings, fewer public assists

The 2022 season is shaping up to be much safer along Walton County beaches despite more days of rough surf and nearly as many visitors flocking to the area.

Last year, record numbers of visitors hit the beaches and four people drowned in the Gulf two months into the beach safety season. The season typically kicks off with spring break in March and runs through the end of October.

A number of people have been rescued from the rough surf during the first 60 days of the 2022 season, but there have been no swimmer fatalities, South Walton Fire District Beach Safety Director David Vaughan said.

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“We made it through the month of April with no one lost,” he said. “The actual response activities have still been very high. We still had a very busy spring break and a very rough spring as far as high surf conditions, which is just kind of the normal thing around here.”

Lifeguards have rescued about the same number of people from the Gulf as this time last year, with about 48 rescues reported so far. But the number of public assists has sharply declined. In April, there were 35 people who were assisted by lifeguards.

“We had a sharp decrease in the need to do public assists, which are those that are initiated by the guards,” Vaughan said. “They can be as serious as water rescues sometimes, but oftentimes they’re just us getting people out of situations before they get into bad ones.”

Factors enhancing safety

Although several factors such as weather patterns have been similar to last year, a few things have likely enhanced safety. Vaughan pointed to more public education, stricter enforcement of the flag warnings and more career lifeguards being hired.

Despite hiring shortages affecting agencies across the Florida Panhandle, the SWFD has expanded its lifeguard program to add more full-time positions this year, with around 20 full-time guards watching over 26 miles of beach.

Many have been working overtime as the SWFD looks to hire more full-time and seasonal positions. Vaughan said having more full-time guards allows the SWFD to invest more in training. Each is trained to provide a high level of emergency medical care.

“When you invest in people, you get better results," Vaughan said. “Being able to invest and having more people who are better trained has already paid significant dividends in our ability to effectively respond and prevent people from drowning."

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Last year’s drownings early in the season also spurred a push for more education on the beach flag system. Beach flag warning information was posted on golf carts, restroom doors at public beach accesses and even pens handed out by local businesses.

Fewer people defy flag warnings

About 70% of the season so far has been in either single red flag or double-red flag conditions, indicating potentially life-threatening surf and rip currents. Double-red flags signal that the water is closed to the public.

The conditions were similar last year, with over half of the season under dangerous surf conditions, but a few less days of rough surf in March.

Lifeguards made contact with thousands of people last year who were defying the warnings despite the county increasing penalties for entering the water on double-red flag days to a $500 fine.

“Last year was the first real rollout of it, and coming out of the pandemic and us being the only destination and the zeitgeist and people’s mood with being told they can’t do something, there was an adjustment period,” Vaughan said.

He said officials “came out of the gate ready” to enforce fines and the flag warnings as soon as the season began this year. But the atmosphere has been a bit different, with more people appearing to abide by the warnings.

“It just seemed like people were much more accepting of the fact that we’re trying to look out for them and advise them of something that shouldn’t be done, rather than feeling attacked,” he said.

The surf conditions and storms often correlate with warmer temperatures, and Vaughan said he expects many more rough surf days ahead.

“It was an unusually active storm season as far as high surf conditions,” he said of last year. “Anything less would be welcome, but we are fully prepared to deal with another year of high storm activity, which will kick up a lot of surf.”

'Treat the Gulf with respect'

Only slightly fewer visitors have been in the area so far this year, with some weeks during spring break reaching full capacity at vacation rentals in Walton County.

“The numbers are only slightly down as far as visitation and what we’re seeing on the beach," Vaughn said. "Last year was the highest we’ve ever seen. We’ve come down just a tiny bit off of that. The key difference being that there’s been no fatalities.”

The number of visitors typically begins to pick back up after Memorial Day. And while the season has gotten off to a good start, Vaughan said visitors need to keep a few things in mind to ensure they stay safe.

Beachgoers should remember to stay hydrated, wear sunscreen and be aware of their surroundings. Knowing nearby landmarks or the name or address of a beach can be helpful in an emergency.

“That’s the biggest safety tip I can give is situational awareness with regards to your location,” Vaughan said. “If the unthinkable happens and some sort of emergency pops up and they do need to call for an emergency response from the South Walton Fire District or any other agency, that they have a good location.”

Visitors also should “treat the Gulf with respect,” he said. Rough surf conditions can be extremely dangerous for even the most advanced swimmers. If caught in a rip current, swimmers are advised to swim parallel to the shore and above all else, keep calm.

“The most important thing that I can tell people when it comes to surviving being swept out is to not panic,” Vaughan said. “Realize that as the shoreline disappears from you and you have no control with your own strength, what you need to do is conserve that strength and stay calm, cool and collected.”

Vaughan encourages people to share beach safety messaging with others on social media. The SWFD posts daily updates on flag conditions on social media and it's website. For more information, visit https://www.swfd.org/beach-safety/surf-conditions.

“We take this very seriously,” he said. “We’re here to help you have fun, but treat the Gulf with respect.”

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: 2022 tourist season starts well in South Walton with no drownings