.DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO? 



summer, countless beach lovers 

 — from first-time visitors to coastal 

 residents — will flock to the North 

 Carolina shoreline to enjoy the lapping 

 surf of the Atlantic Ocean. 



And while tourist ranks are substan- 

 tial, the state tallied only three rip current 

 fatalities last year. 



"We have so many more people 

 visiting the beaches, but the number of 

 fatalities has not increased — in fact, it is 

 going down, " says Sandy Sanderson, 

 Dare County's emergency management 

 director, who cites a "chain of successful 

 education efforts." 



A new link in the chain is the posting of more than 500 rip current signs at beach parking 

 lots, crossovers, lifeguard stands and other sites. North Carolina Sea Grant is spearheading the 

 project, in conjunction with local officials and the National Weather Service (NWS), part of 

 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 



Rip currents are found not only along the ocean shoreline, but also along the Great Lakes. 

 The rip currents form when water rushes out to sea in a narrow path. Often they form in a 

 break in a nearshore sandbar, or near a groin, jetty or pier. Swimmers or waders who are 

 unaware of telltale signs of rip currents may get caught in the strong pull. 



"I think we have made tremendous progress in educating the public — but it is an 

 ongoing education process," Sanderson says. 



Thomas Best agrees. As fire marshal in North Topsail Beach, he came to Sea Grant last 

 year with a request for aluminum signs as a permanent education tool. By this spring, his town 

 had posted about 65 new signs, each about the size of a "No Parking" sign. 



"We put the signs at the crossovers, where people have to step up. They have to see the 

 sign," he says. 



Sanderson, Best and others up and down the coast have worked with Spencer Rogers, 

 North Carolina Sea Grant's coastal erosion specialist, and the Sea Grant communications team 

 on a number of rip current projects, including a video, posters and a brochure. 



Last year, North Carolina offices of the weather service began offering daily forecasts for 

 rip current potential, a service patterned after a forecast scale developed in Florida through the 

 work of NWS, local lifeguards and university researchers. 



Soon, NWS will unveil its new online "portal" for rip current information: 

 www. ripcurrents.noaa.gov. 



And, beach communities continue individual educational campaigns on beach safety 

 issues. Thus, it is a coordinated effort to get the word out regarding rip currents. 



"The key message is: Don't panic," adds Rogers. 



EQUAL CHANCES 



A strong rip current can move at about three feet per second — as fast as an Olympic 

 swimmer in a 50-meter sprint — according to Sea Grant researchers in Florida. 



So, when it comes to rip currents, everyone is equal. "I have rescued people of all ages, 

 all swimming abilities and all sizes. They all can get caught in a rip current," Sanderson 

 explains. 



The same is true in other beach towns. "Rip currents occur throughout the year, but the 

 biggest problems are in tourist season — they (tourists) don't know what to look for, what they 

 can get themselves into," Best says. 



Each year, about 100 fatalities nationwide are attributed to rip currents — and overall, 

 officials estimate that 80 percent of all ocean rescues by lifeguards involve rip currents. In fact, 

 the U.S. Lifesaving Association annually tallies more than 22,000 rescues nationwide that can 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 7 



