Police departments in Cape May County shore towns have issued rip-current advisories to the public, warning of dangerous surf conditions in advance of Hurricane Erin.
The storm formed into a hurricane on Friday, Aug. 15, and has been intensifying as it moves west-northwest, encountering the Virgin Islands and approaching the coast of Florida. Forecasters believe it will ultimately head northeast and not make landfall on the Eastern Seaboard.
However, even if the storm is many miles away and does not make landfall, the Jersey Shore can still suffer its effects, including rip currents. Several Shore communities in Cape May County have issued flood warnings and/or closed beaches due to potential rip currents.
The stronger surf conditions that result from the storm essentially carve grooves in the sandbar, which result in rip currents. When a wave goes out, water pressure increases at the point where it is passing through the groove – much like a person putting a thumb over the end of a garden house. Bathers caught in this area will likely be pulled out by the ensuing rip current.
Getting caught in a rip current, while probably frightening to most people, does not have to lead to disastrous results.
Jack McGuinness, a dispatcher and beach taxi driver with the Wildwood Beach Patrol, where he was a lifeguard for 30 years, said, “If you find yourself in a rip current, just go with it and float on your back until you feel the current diminish.”
Just as the stream from the garden house drops off at a certain point, so does the pressure in a rip current.
McGuinness said the person can then swim roughly parallel to shore, while heading toward the beach.
He said rip currents occur throughout the summer, when they are more of a concern because there are more bathers. He said any time there is increased surf action, there is an increased occurrence of rip currents.
“We encourage swimming only when lifeguards are on duty,” McGuinness said. “After hours, we tell people they are swimming at their own risk.”
He said that if someone sees a person enter the water and appear to be in distress, they should call 911. In most cases, people on the beach should not attempt a rescue unless they have been trained. In addition, they should have enough flotation for themselves and the victim, or they are likely to become a victim themselves.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 19, Wildwood issued a statement saying the beaches were closed and telling people to stay out of the water. Wildwood Crest said it had restricted access to beaches and told people not to go in more than ankle-deep.
In North Wildwood, access to some beaches was closed, and swimming was prohibited. Beach patrol personnel were driving up and down the beaches to advise people not to enter the water.
In Stone Harbor, access to the ocean was closed Wednesday, Aug. 20, until further notice. The beaches are open, but water access is restricted. The borough is also closing the municipal boat ramp gate at the 81st Street marina. Boat owners who wish to remove their boats should do so by 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21.
Ocean City’s beaches will remain open, but the beach patrol will restrict swimming – either entirely or only to the shallowest water -over the next few days. The notice advises residents and visitors to never enter the water at an unguarded beach.
To aid those who need to move vehicles to higher ground the city has opened municipal parking lots for free on Thursday, Aug. 21. Those who take advantage of this service are asked to move vehicles well in advance of high tide on Thursday, then retrieve them when the tides recede on Friday. Parking also will be available at the Trinity United Methodist Church at 20 N. Shore Road in Marmora.
North Wildwood Beach Patrol Chief Bill Ciavarelli said the rough surf and rip current danger started on Sunday, Aug. 17, and those conditions would likely continue for the next couple of days.
“That ocean is a washing machine,” Ciavarelli said. “The water is basically closed today and tomorrow.”
The Herald asked Ciavarelli how, short of getting caught in a rip current, a person might know a rip current exists. He said the water in a rip current is discolored compared to the surrounding water. There also might be more white water in some areas.
Lifeguards, he said, have training on spotting rip currents, and they become accustomed to seeing them from the stand. They are also informed on the weather and surf conditions that promote rip currents.
“The last couple weeks, there have been more rip currents,” he said. “When the water goes back out, you can see that funnel and discolored water.”
Ciavarelli said that, on certain days, the water can look calm on the surface, but there might be rip currents in the surf.
Despite the presence of rip currents, Ciavarelli said his city’s Beach Patrol has not had a lot of recent rescues. He said they are doing a good job of keeping people out of danger, but they also have not seen hot spots for rip currents this year, as they have in other years.
He said the Beach Patrol will continue to be vigilant over the remainder of the week, until the effects of Hurricane Erin are no longer being felt.
“It’s just the conditions we’re dealing with now,” he said. “We’ve had a few people try to get in the water, but we are on top of it.”
Ciavarelli said that by this time in August, beach patrols are already losing lifeguards, many of whom are college students or teachers who must return to school before the beginning of the school year. He said that, as the number of lifeguards and guarded beaches are on the decline, people need to keep in mind that they should always swim at a guarded beach.
He said beaches always seem to be more dangerous in the morning when not guarded, as opposed to the evening.
Hurricane Erin is expected to get bigger over the next few days as it turns away from the continental United States. The National Hurricane Center is also tracking two tropical storms forming in the Atlantic Ocean that seem to be taking a path similar to Erin’s.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcmherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
