Even if rip currents keep beach visitors 

 out of the water for the day, there are plenty 

 of oceanfront activities available, including 

 sand castle building and surf fishing. 



SAVING LIVES 



Sea Grant researchers have a simple goal in understanding rip currents 

 and developing better forecasts. 'To save lives," says Dan Hanes, a co- 

 investigator on the Florida project. 



Thus, as Jason Engle, a UF master's student, defines relationships 

 between weather/wave data and rescue statistics, he shares the results with 

 community groups, such as the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation 

 Association. 



"In Florida, rip currents, on average, kill more people every year than all 

 other meteorological events combined — that includes hurricanes, tornadoes, 

 lightning, etc.," Engle says, citing NWS statistics. "We are looking to 

 improve the rip current forecast scale used along East Central Florida." 



Although rescue team logs are qualitative descriptions of conditions by 

 nonscientists, the researchers have found the lifeguard data to be quite 

 accurate. "We listen to the lifeguards a lot," Engle says. "And one advantage 

 of using rip rescue data is that it is long term." 



In particular, he has found that in Volusia County, home to Daytona 

 Beach, there is at least one rip current rescue every three days — and some 

 days have 45 or more. 



Similar research has started in North Carolina, though on a smaller scale. 

 Lifeguards and rescue teams along the coast provide updates to forecasters to 

 fine-tune the models. "It is very important to have close contacts with the 

 beach communities," says Pfaff. 



Those contacts tallied seven rip current-related fatalities last year from 

 Virginia Beach to South Carolina's "Grand Strand" that includes Myrtle 

 Beach. In nearly every case, the weather service had identified a higher than 

 normal threat for rip currents, Pfaff says. 



The North Carolina and Florida forecasting efforts are part of a 

 nationwide push, he adds, citing a Spanish translation of the online rip current 

 information by an NWS office in Texas. 



Meanwhile, Rogers and other Sea Grant coastal processes specialists 

 around the country keep each other updated on various projects. He cites 

 Delaware Sea Grant's efforts, including a training video and interpretive 

 signs, as well as projects in Wisconsin and Michigan. 



And, of course, the beach communities play an important role. 

 In January, NWS officials honored Police Chief Dennis Cooper of Kure 

 Beach, who has rallied his town on beach safety issues including rip currents. 



"We are building general awareness," he says. "Kure Beach is a place 

 where people come back year after year." 



For example, he wants visitors to know that rip currents often occur 

 when lifeguards are not on duty — especially in the evening and after Labor Day. 



"I want visitors to understand that when they step into that water, they are stepping into an 

 ocean," he says, emphasizing the grand concept of ocean. 



"Once you jump into Mother Nature, you have to be aware. You have to 

 be careful." □ 



10 EARLY SUMMER 2002 



