Be careful in the ocean: Activity in tropics means high rip current risk

There's a risk for rip currents along the North Carolina coast until Tuesday night because of activity in the tropics. On Monday, lifeguards at Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach made 10 rip current rescues.

Posted 8:21 p.m. Jun 29, 2021 — Updated 10:08 p.m. Jun 29, 2021

By

Bryan Mims

, WRAL reporter

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. — If you're headed to the beach, stay on guard — there's a risk for rip currents along the North Carolina coast until Friday night due to activity in the tropics.

On Monday, lifeguards at Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach made 10 rip current rescues.

A rip current is a strong, narrow current of water that flows away from shore. If you're caught in one, don't fight it: Stay calm, swim parallel to the beach until you break free, then swim back to shore at an angle.

Officials say that, when people panic, they can drown.

What is a rip current? What to do if you feel the pull

An average of 10 people die each year due to rip currents in North Carolina.

Mayor Debbie Smith said there have been no problems at Ocean Isle Beach, but the town's beach patrol is on heightened alert. The most recent rip current drowning happened three weeks ago at Holden Beach, just east of Ocean Isle.

At Wrightsville Beach, red flags were posted, and swimmers were advised not to venture past waist-deep.

Parents who were headed to the beach said they were worried about the rip currents.

Don't be fooled: Rip currents occur in beautiful beach weather

"I've heard so much about people drowning," said Shelly Hatley, from Albemarle. She's vacationing with her two 8-year-old twins, who she makes wear life jackets.

Swimmers on Ocean Isle said they hadn't noticed any undertow on Tuesday.

But even when beach conditions appear sunny and calm, tropical systems can cause rip currents so dangerous that lifeguards often refer to them as drowning machines.

Large swells produced by storms well offshore can create conditions that cause rip currents. For example, in 2019, when Hurricane Lorenzo was over 2,000 miles away from the U.S., the beaches along the East Coast were sunny, and temperatures were in the 80s.

It was great beach weather, but Lorenzo generated large ocean swells stretching from Florida to New Jersey. There were seven drownings, four of which were in the Carolinas, including two at Kure Beach.

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