Emergency officials warn swimmers of dangerous ocean waters over weekend

EMERALD ISLE, N.C. (WNCT) — People heading to the Crystal Coast this weekend are being warned of the danger of rip currents as Hurricane Ernesto churns out in the Atlantic Ocean.

Emerald Isle Fire Chief William Matthias said even when storms are thousands of miles offshore, they can still bring in heavy water volume. Some of that water gets trapped between the shoreline and sandbars, making dangerous rip currents.

“When Hurricane Lorenzo was thousands of miles off our coastline, we actually lost more lives due to that storm than we did with the storm, Hurricane Dorian, that same year, that did actually come ashore here in North Carolina,” Chief Matthias said.

Heavy winds Sunday could also make the water more unpredictable. Emerald Isle will have extra lifeguards on duty this weekend.

“We’re actually utilizing some of our rescue swimmers, which are full-time employees within the fire department, who have cross-trained as lifeguards, to help us patrol the beach in these next couple of weeks,” Chief Matthias said.

He said he would rather have people try to float if they’re stuck in a rip current and wait for help instead of swimming parallel to the shore to escape it.

“I would much rather them focus on floating and maintaining their energy,” Chief Matthias said. “So that way, somebody on shore or maybe somebody in their party who’s a water watcher calls 911. It lets the professionals come get them, rather than them tiring out.”

However, he also said this weekend it’s better to avoid swimming at all in the ocean. “Number one thing is to not get in the water,” he said. “Don’t tempt fate. When these red flags are out, emergency services will go out there into the water. We really don’t want to. We want to educate people and keep them safe from the get-go.”

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