COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



A Whale 

 of a Time 



ring the late spring and early 

 summer, boaters off the North Carolina 

 coast may get a bonus: a whale sighting. 

 Some of the folks who spot the massive 

 mammals call Jim Bahen, a Sea Grant 

 extension agent in Wilmington. They 

 generally want to know two things: what 

 kind of whale they saw and how they can 

 interact with the whales. 



"More and more frequently, people 

 are going out on the water to get a closer 

 look," Bahen says. "So I think we need to 

 educate boaters." 



Bahen belongs to a team assembled 

 by the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 on the Atlantic coast to help educate the 

 public about marine mammal issues. One 

 of the team's goals is to reduce the number 

 of marine mammals incidentally killed in 

 fishing gear, a problem more common 

 along northern shores. But Bahen says the 

 team hopes to address the problem before it 

 worsens. 



Many of the whales passing by North 

 Carolina are humpbacks or northern right 

 whales migrating between their winter 

 homes in the Caribbean, where birthing 

 takes place, and feeding grounds in 

 northern waters. Boaters can cause 

 problems for the animals by approaching 

 too closely or by colliding with them. And 

 it is illegal to harass whales. 



The National Oceanic and Atmo- 

 spheric Administration says boaters should 

 stay at least 100 feet from whales, approach 

 from the side or rear, leave the whales a 

 clear path of movement, limit a close 

 approach to 15 minutes, avoid excessive 

 speed and never throw garbage overboard. 



For more information about whales 

 along our coast, call Bahen at 910/256- 

 2083. — D.D. n 



Rip Tide Warning 



This time of year, the summer 

 season of sun and surf stretches 

 ahead, promising plenty of warm 

 days on the beach. But before you 

 step foot into the ocean, it's 

 important to understand the 

 dangers that lurk just a few feet 

 offshore. 



A far greater threat than 

 menacing sharks, stingrays or 

 other scary sea creatures is the 

 deadly rip current. 



The forces of nature that 

 create swells and waves also 

 produce rip currents off North 

 Carolina's shores. The phenom- 

 enon is produced by several forces 

 that come together just a few feet 

 from the beach. 



Rip currents begin with the 

 formation of a sandbar that 

 causes waves to break in shallow 

 water. That water is trapped 

 between the sandbar and shore, 

 unable to naturally move back to 

 sea. This water seeks an outlet 

 around the sandbar, creating fast- 



moving currents away from shore. 



Anybody who's been caught 

 in a rip current can tell you the 

 experience is terrifying. But 

 remember to stay calm. The 

 current will dissipate in 50 to 75 

 yards, where you can escape by 

 swimming parallel to shore and 

 then back in. Do not hesitate to 

 wave for help. 



You can take precautions to 

 prevent being swept away by a rip 

 current. Ask a nearby lifeguard if 

 conditions are safe for swimming. 

 And watch for the signs of rip 

 currents: a sandbar where waves 

 are breaking in shallow water, 

 and discolored water and foam 

 moving through the breakers away 

 from shore. 



Sea Grant has a free poster 

 and $6 video to help you under- 

 stand the dangers of rip currents. 

 Call 919/515-9101 orwrite North 

 Carolina Sea Grant, Box 8605, NC 

 State University, Raleigh, NC 

 27695-8605. -J.F.N, m 



COASTWATCH 



