THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509210219
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: Ron Speer
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
It was, perhaps, the nicest day of the year in Kill Devil Hills.
Winds were gentle, temperatures were moderate and the bluest of skies was flecked with clouds.
It was a day that makes the Outer Banks special, the perfect place to enjoy nature's most soothing offerings.
It was the kind of a day that draws crowds to the bikepaths, the piers, the picnic grounds of the Outer Banks.
And to the sand and the surf.
Never is the ocean more attractive than it is in the fall, when the empty beaches beckon the visitors of autumn.
Sometimes the surf can be boisterous and noisy and dangerous in the fall, when northeasters like to hammer the Outer Banks.
But it didn't look all that threatening to outsiders last Wednesday on the nicest day of the year.
They had no way of knowing how dangerous it was because in the fall the lifeguards are gone and the red danger flags are no longer flown.
So into the water they went, this family of four from Pennsylvania.
Only three of them came out alive, and the mother and one of the children survived only through the bravery and daring of rescuers who risked their lives.
The father drowned.
Unbeknownst to the family from a home far from the beaches, the undertow was terrible.
And they got caught in it.
Bob Gabriel, president of Lifeguard Beach Services in Kill Devil Hills, said that the rip currents in the surf were among the worst he's seen in 13 years of rescue work.
He was badly bruised in the chest during his rescue attempts, and another rescuer ran out of strength after pulling the girl to safety.
The rescuers did their best, making repeated efforts to save the father after they'd pulled his wife and his daughter out of the undertow.
But determined and daring as they were, they were no match for the surf on the nicest day of the year.
``There shouldn't have been anyone in the water,'' Gabriel said. ``It was much too rough.''
If the Pennsylvania family had visited in the summer, lifeguards would have kept them out of the water and red danger flags would have been flying to alert beachgoers that the surf was a killer.
But the lifeguards leave and the flags are furled after Labor Day weekend. That is because the crowds dwindle.
But it may be time to rethink that policy.
More and more visitors are enjoying the Outer Banks after the summer season now, and widespread efforts are under way to draw people in spring and fall.
Many of them recognize the beauty but not the danger of the surf.
But solutions aren't easy.
Gabriel points out that if you don't have lifeguards but put up danger flags you may mislead strangers into thinking there is help nearby.
And the beach is patrolled by roving guards, one of whom had passed the scene only 10 minutes before the Pennsylvania family entered the water.
Nags Head Fire Chief Tim Morris says that unless they plan regular patrols, his water rescue workers don't erect the flags.
But he said he will re-examine the policy in an attempt to prevent drownings that seem even more tragic when they happen to people on vacation.
But then he reminded us all that it's a tough world even on the beaches.
``Those flags are the most sought after souvenirs around. Without guards to watch them, they disappear. We lost 11 in less than one hour on a single day this summer.''
That is sad.
But somehow we must find a way to warn visitors that death as well as delight comes rolling in with the surf. by CNB