High risk of life-threatening rip currents at Central Florida beaches
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It's a hazard at the beach you can't always see and it could take your life!
Talking about rip currents and Central Florida beaches will have a distinct threat as we head through the coming weekend. A HIGH RISK of life-threatening rip currents is in play as favorable ocean conditions align from the beaches of Flagler County Southbound through the Treasure Coast.
"We've got an increase in Easterly ocean swell coming from a great distance in the Central Atlantic. That wave energy will focus in our local sandbars in the surf zone with breaking waves washing up and then rapidly heading back out to sea. That seaward pull is where the rips form, sometimes dragging people with it," says FOX 35 Storm Team Chief Meteorologist and surfer Jayme King.
Be especially mindful of rip currents during the outgoing, lower tides. That's when the heaviest volumes of water are headed out to sea.
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This weekend, our local beaches will see lower tides during the mid-morning and again during the evening hours. It's always good policy to ask local lifeguards what they're seeing and base your decisions on their excellent knowledge.
If you find yourself caught in a rip, STAY CALM! Conserve energy and think clearly. Never fight the current. Try and swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline. When you get out of the current, swim at an angle-away from the current and towards the shoreline.