THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 2, 1996 TAG: 9607020241
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER MCMENAMIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: 108 lines
Although it wasn't bad enough Monday to unfurl the red nylon flags that prohibit swimming, the rough surf and flash rip currents along the Outer Banks sent lifeguards racing repeatedly into the Atlantic Ocean.
``It felt like somebody was pushing you down,'' said Ryan Price, a 7-year-old from Mount Airy, Md., as he and his parents wrapped up their three-hour day on a Kill Devil Hills beach.
While the surfers and boogie boarders reveled in the rough waters, the rip currents kept swimmers close to shore - and lifeguards on the run all morning.
There were at least 11 rescues in Kill Devil Hills, one in Duck and eight in Nags Head on Monday. Figures were not available from Corolla and Hatteras Island beaches.
``What has happened this morning is that the storm fronts. . . and outgoing tides are creating flash rip currents. It's not bad enough to put flags out, but bad enough to have our people on high alert,'' said Bob Gabriel, president of Lifeguard Beach Services, maneuvering his Chevrolet Tahoe onto the beach for a morning of what he called ``preventative lifeguarding.''
Idling his four-wheel-drive vehicle at a pace of 2 to 5 mph along the beaches of Kill Devil Hills, Gabriel spent the morning advising swimmers to stay near the shoreline, reminding parents to keep a close eye on their children and warning all beachgoers of the rip currents.
``Swimmers, if I could have your attention for a moment,'' Gabriel said, cupping his hand over the microphone of his truck's loudspeaker. ``It's not a good time to be in the water right now. If I could get you to stay along the shoreline for about another two hours.
``Are there any children out there without your parents? Where are your parents?''
Two little girls clad in bright bikinis pointed up the beach toward a group of adults sitting near the grassy dunes.
``You have to stay close to your parents. It's not so good out there right now. So don't go in the water without your parents.''
As the children ran up the beach to their families, a woman standing nearby thanked the 51-year-old lifeguard, who said he spent the summers of his childhood in the Outer Banks waves.
``You're smart,'' she said. ``It's awful out there.''
Gabriel, however, classified Monday's surf as ``not that bad,'' ranking it as a ``2'' on a scale of 1 to 10.
``You still need to reassure people and remind them to use some caution. You don't get second chances in the ocean - not usually,'' he said.
A 14-year-old from Maryland drowned last week in Duck when rip currents pulled him out to sea on an unguarded beach.
Rip currents, caused by water that breaks through a near-shore sandbar and rushes out to sea in a narrow path, can extend 1,000 feet off shore and travel up to 3 mph.
Telltale signs of rip currents are:
A noticeable difference in water color in one area;
Gaps in the breakers or different-sized waves at the near-shore sandbar;
Foam or objects moving steadily seaward;
An offshore plume of water past the sandbars.
The combination of consecutive storms and outgoing tides create the worst swimming conditions and usually require the conspicuous and prohibitive red flags flying above area beaches.
``A string of storms can get that surf really pounding,'' Gabriel said. When the ocean floor is continually stirred up, the sandbars shift and make rip currents more likely.
``The bottom changes. And we don't know where everything is,'' Gabriel said. ``That's when we use the red flags.''
In addition to roving patrols like Gabriel's, surfers assisted people in trouble and chalkboards on lifeguard stands warned visitors about the dangerous conditions as soon as they hit the beach.
``Some heavy shorebreak or rip currents,'' one said.
``Rolling with fairly rough shorebreak. Please swim safely and smartly,'' another warned.
But area beachgoers needed little warning.
``It's a little rough,'' said Constance Cowley, a vacationer from Dallas who described her age as 60-plus. ``It seems to be breaking in all directions. It's hard to keep your balance.''
Cathy Shanks, a visitor from Greensboro, stood at the water's edge, watching her 13-year-old son, Gordon, boogie boarding through the waves.
``It's very cold. But he's enjoying it,'' she said. ``It appears rough.''
Gordon Shanks agreed. ``It's a lot rougher than past years,'' he said. ``The currents are pulling me out. And the waves are pulling me in.''
Gripping the leash to his pink-and-blue boogie board, Gordon Shanks explained what he would do if the ocean began pulling him out: ``I'd hop on my boogie board and swim back in.''
Staying with a leashed boogie board is the best way to beat a rip current, Gabriel said.
``Just stay on the boards. What's the worst thing that can happen? If you just stay on the board and just use a little common sense, it will bring you back in.
``If you get tired or take in a mouthful of water, you can stay on the board and we'll have no problem seeing you.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
DREW C. WILSON
Brittany Walker, 8, wore a lifejacket Monday - a good idea in the
recent strong surf - as she and her dad, Stan Walker, jumped waves
on a Kill Devil Hills beach. The Walkers are from Atlanta.
ROUGH-WATER TIPS
Do not swim when red flags are posted. They warn of hazardous
water conditions.
Do not swim, surf or use any kind of flotation device within 300
feet of a fishing pier.
Do not use rafts or flotation devices as substitutes for swimming
ability. Southwesterly breezes can push them far from shore.
Use caution when swimming around surfers.
If you do not swim well, stay at wading depth and watch for
sudden drop-offs caused by sandbars. by CNB