By Kathy Hart 

 The ocean. 



It's irresistible. It attracts people 

 like a powerful magnet. 



They are drawn to its sun-washed 

 shores, revitalized by its beauty, its 

 warmth, its endless rhythm and its 

 cleansing brine. 



Each summer, thousands of people 

 enjoy the unique blend of sand, surf 

 and sun that is distinctive to the ocean- 

 front and bountiful along the North 

 Carolina shore. 



But in all of that wonder 

 and beauty, there is also dan- 

 ger on the beach and in the 

 water. 



Tobie Dodge, a supervi- 

 sor for Nags Head Ocean 

 Rescue, has spent 10 years 

 on the beach protecting the 

 lives of others. As a public 

 safety professional, Dodge 

 says that a lack of under- 

 standing of ocean dynamics 

 poses the biggest problem for 

 the average beachgoer. 



"They underestimate 

 natural forces such as winds, 

 waves, currents and weather, 

 and they overestimate their 

 own abilities in the water," Dodge says. 

 "They don't understand that a 

 longshore current can quickly pull a 

 swimmer down the beach or that an 

 offshore wind can carry a person on a 

 float down and out 100 to 200 yards in 

 minutes." 



Mirek Dabrowski, a lifeguard for 

 13 years along the Outer Banks, puts it 

 like this: "One of the biggest dangers is 

 that people don't foresee what might 

 happen. This doesn't mean that the 

 ocean is a big monster out to get you, 

 but you can't take it for granted." 



Dodge and Dabrowski agree that 

 people should develop a healthy re- 

 spect for the ocean and its fickle nature. 



"It's changing every minute," 

 Dodge says. 



As a system in motion, ocean 

 waves, currents and sands respond to 

 changes in tides and weather. 



Tides creep in and out continu- 

 ously, and as they do the profile of the 

 beach and nearshore changes too. The 

 gently sloping beach at low tide may 

 give way to a steeper beach with a faster 

 drop-off at high tide. 



And an approaching storm can alter 

 the serenity of a calm day faster than 



Steve Murray 



most people can spell Chicamacomico, 

 the lifesaving station near Rodanthe. 

 Gentle waves, light winds and sluggish 

 currents can be whipped into a frenzy of 

 churning breakers, powerful gusts and 

 strong currents. 



But most people, especially tourists 

 who spend only one to two weeks a 

 year seaside, aren't aware of the ocean's 

 power or overestimate their ability to 

 handle it. 



Most folks hone their swimming 

 skills in swimming pools and inland 

 lakes and are often unprepared for cur- 

 rents, backwash, crashing waves and 

 shifting sand. 



"Most people don't know their 



limitations when it comes to the ocean," 

 Dabrowski says. "They don't know how 

 to handle waves that can throw them 

 into the sand hard enough to cause head 

 and neck injuries or how to recognize 

 currents. 



"That's a lifeguard's biggest job — 

 educating people about the problems 

 they might face," he says. "People 

 should look at us as doctors of the 

 ocean. We know the ocean. We know 

 where you can swim and where you 

 can't. People should listen to what we 

 have to say." 



But vacationers aren't 

 always good listeners. Bent 

 on making their vacation all 

 it can be, visitors often 

 overexert themselves and 

 take unreasonable chances 

 with their lives in the name 

 of a good time, Dabrowski 

 says. 



Vacationers will begin 

 exercising after weeks or 

 even years of inactivity with- 

 out a doctor's approval. They 

 soak up too much sun or be- 

 come too hot and dehy- 

 drated. They swim on days 

 when the ocean is too rough 

 or rip currents are rampant. 



The result of such foolhardiness 

 can mean rescue, resuscitation or, in 

 extreme cases, death. So public safety 

 professionals urge vacationers to em- 

 ploy restraint and use common sense 

 on the beach. 



Safety tips include: 



1. Come to the beach prepared. 

 Bring sunscreen, hats and protective 

 clothing, especially for children. Wear 

 footwear — sandals, loafers, tennis 

 shoes or flip-flops — because sand tem- 

 peratures near the base of the dunes can 

 reach 1 10 F to 120 F. Bring fluids to 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 1 7 



