Warning issued for spring breakers and all swimmers from Miami Beach to Palm Beach
As spring break gets going this week in South Florida, the National Weather Service has extended the high rip current risk warning for the waters off Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
For those of you not exactly sure what that covers, that’s from Homestead Bayfront Park all the way up to Lake Worth Beach, with Crandon, Miami Beach, Haulover, Sunny Isles Beach, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Palm Beach in between.
“Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water,” the weather service reminds swimmers.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue reported 18 people who were caught in rip currents were assisted in 10 rescues on Sunday. The National Weather Service tweeted Tuesday morning that “several people already have been rescued from the waters today.”
The rules for dealing with a rip current:
▪ Swim near a lifeguard. Look for red flags telling you where not to swim.
▪ If you’re caught in a rip current, don’t swim against it. Try to swim parallel to the shore until you’re out.
▪ If you can’t swim out of the rip current, relax, float and tread water. The “relax” part is important. This is not a time to get super tense or panic.
▪ If you can’t get out of the current, face the shore and yell and wave for help.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 7:15 AM.
