Volusia beach safety rescues 268 people over weekend, including woman who was resuscitated

An Orlando woman who sank under the surf after she was caught in a rip current was among 268 people rescued this past weekend along Volusia County beaches, according to a press release. And beach safety officials expect hazardous conditions to continue this week.

Lifeguards rescued 130 people on Saturday and 138 people on Sunday, as beach safety flew the red flag over the weekend indicating hazardous conditions.

The 57-year-old woman was caught in the rip current about 1:40 p.m. in an unguarded stretch of beach just north of the Dunlawton approach in Daytona Beach Shores, according to Volusia County Beach Safety. Witnesses saw her struggling to return to shore before she became submerged, according to an email from Laura Warner of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue.

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Beach safety personnel brought her back to shore where two emergency room trauma nurses started CPR.

Beach safety lifeguards returned to the ocean to rescue a man who was struggling in the same rip current the woman had been trapped in, Warner wrote.

The woman regained a pulse and was taken to a hospital where she was in stable condition, Warner wrote.

Volusia Beach Safety Capt. A.J. Miller said in a phone interview that there were more rip currents because the big surf knocked holes in sandbars, which created channels for water to rush out. The water then cut those channels even deeper.

“We've had extremely strong rip currents for the past three or four weeks,” Miller said.

Longshore currents have also moved red coquina sand, which is softer than white silica sand, into new areas, he said. The coquina sand, which is found in Flagler Beach and other places including Bethune Beach, makes for a more unstable bottom, he said.

“It's prone to move a lot more and shift around so it’s easier for rip currents to form,” Miller said of the coquina sand. “But that’s not the main reason. The surf is the bigger reason as the waves break holes in the sandbar and the water starts cutting those holes deeper.”

'Very nasty rip currents'

It was also a busy weekend in Flagler Beach, said Tom Gillin, ocean rescue director for the city of Flagler Beach.

“We had a very busy weekend and I think the main culprit is we had a few nasty rip currents open up along the shore,” Gillin said.

He said the city’s lifeguards watch over about a 3/4-mile stretch of beach both north and south of the pier which parallels the boardwalk.

“Make sure there’s a lifeguard on duty and, regardless of what your swimming abilities are, always swim near a lifeguard,” Gillin said.

He said he did not yet have a tally of the number of rescues, but it was several each day.

Gillin said he expects that the July Fourth weekend will be busy, since it's a holiday weekend with out-of-towners who are unfamiliar with the ocean conditions, as well as those drinking alcohol.

Beware of lightning

Beside the rip currents, beach-goers must also be watchful of afternoon thunderstorms, which usually spark lightning. Warner of Volusia wrote in the press release that most lightning fatalities occur in June, July and August.

She wrote that lightning can strike 10 miles from the storm and if you hear thunder, you should go indoors.

Warner wrote that lifeguards will ask people to get out of the water and leave the beach if there is lighting in the area or if a storm is approaching.

Volusia beach safety is dealing with a nationwide shortage of lifeguards, which means that lifeguards are covering larger areas than they would otherwise.

Miller said the agency is opening every tower it can based on historical data of which are the busiest.

“Our employees are so outstanding that we are still performing the job at an extremely high level,” he said.

Miller said the protected area is 300 feet on either side of a lifeguard. But if a lifeguard sees something outside that area, they will respond personally or they will radio for another beach safety personnel to respond, he said.

Miller recommends that people download the Volusia Beaches app, available free on iTunes and Google Play. The app provides “real-time updates” on things such as beach ramps, staffed lifeguard towers, off-beach parking and beach conditions.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia beach safety rescues 268 over weekend as rip currents pose threat