More than 500 water rescues in a week in Miami. Is that normal?
When meteorologist Jim Cantore starts posting, weather-watchers pay attention.
When he visits, it’s even worse. You’re in the path of a hurricane.
We’re still about two months from hurricane season, so don’t worry. And don’t look for him on South Beach in the surf with the latest weather woe. But The Weather Channel’s Cantore did take to social media to share a startling bit of news on Tuesday.
Citing Miami-Dade Fire Rescue figures, he noted that there have been 509 water rescue incidents in the Miami area in the last week.
As South Floridians dodged on-and-off deluges Tuesday morning, with the worst of the rains and thunderstorms yet to come, the National Weather Service in Miami warned of a high rip current risk and dangerous sea conditions from Tuesday night into Thursday evening. The warning applies to coastal Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
READ MORE: When will we see the worst weather during a rainy week? Check Miami predictions
What do the experts say?
More than 500 water rescues — 330 of those calls involving rip currents, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. We had to ask, “Is this normal?”
“Not unusual at all,” said MDFR Ocean Rescue Lt. Yuniel Usin in response to the Miami Herald’s query. “It’s very common, as winds are always strong during Easter and spring break weeks. Stronger winds mean stronger rip currents.”
Consider the confluence of last weekend’s sun-kissed holiday and the recent close of another spring break period a perfect storm of sorts.
“The combination of rip currents plus busy holidays results in a high volume of water-related emergencies,” Usin said.
Water rescue incidents and rip currents
From March 29 to April 5, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to 509 water rescue incidents, with 330 of those calls involving rip currents, Usin confirmed.
Broward County waters weren’t still, either. On Friday, April 3, 29 people were pulled from the water in Fort Lauderdale and another nine in Pompano Beach, Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami reported. The rescues included a father and his first grade-age son. All survived.
Here are the week’s figures in the Miami area, according to MDFR.
- March 29: MDFR responded to 32 water rescue incidents, with 20 of those calls involving rip currents.
- March 30: Two water rescue incidents, with both calls involving rip currents.
- March 31: Six water rescue incidents.
- April 1: 10 water rescue incidents.
- April 3: 85 water rescue incidents, 60 involving rip currents.
- April 4: 130 water rescue incidents, 70 involving rip currents.
- April 5: 244 water rescue incidents, 178 involving rip currents.
Rip currents safety tips
Ocean Rescue’s Usin suggested the following tips if you’re caught in a rip current. We’ll start with an obvious one. Don’t put yourself at risk in the first place. On days when the National Weather Service warns of elevated or dangerous risk of rip currents, seriously consider making it a swim-free day if you can’t resist heading to the beach for some sun.
Here are Usin’s tips:
- Don’t panic if you get caught in a current. “One of the worst things to do if you are caught in a rip current is to panic and waste energy,” the MDFR lieutenant said.
- Swim parallel to shore. “Most rip currents can be narrow in nature,” Usin said. “Try to swim parallel to shore to get out of the grasp of the rip current and once you are out of the grip of the rip, return to shore.”
- Try to call or wave for help to get someone’s attention or conserve energy by floating.
- Don’t become a victim. Many people have died trying to rescue someone in a rip current. The best way to help someone is to get the attention of a lifeguard, he suggested.
- Lifeguard not present? If you can’t find a guard on the beach when you’ve noticed someone in trouble in the water, call 911. Then try to direct the swimmer to swim parallel to shore. If possible, throw them something that floats and never enter the water without a flotation device.
Think you’re a champ swimmer and can ignore the warnings? The National Weather Service’s oft-repeated tagline on all of its released rip current alerts and statements: “Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 3:22 PM.
