Rip Currents - Captain Marshall Greene Manatee Co Beach Patrol

Manatee County lifeguards saw an unusual amount of rip current activity last week at the beaches they guard along the Gulf Coast. Around 125 between July 17th through 19th. They made a lot of rescues and worked to head off more trouble. We speak with Captain Marshall Greene with the Manatee County Beach Patrol about conditions since then, and how to stay safe in the water. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. Swimming at the
beach on the go for the Atlantic in Florida always
carries risk. Manatee County Beach Patrol has had it at
a busy start to summer. They've reported one hundred and
thirty six rescues for the week of Wednesday through Friday
of last week June seventeenth through the nineteenth. And we

(00:21):
have Captain Marshall Green with the Manatee County Beach Patrol,
which has life saving and lifeguarding responsibilities along the Manatee
County beaches. He's joining us to talk about the rip
current situation and staying safe on the beach and in
the water. Welcome in, Captain Green.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Thank you for having me Bordon.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Now, your agency has posted on social media that you
have observed one hundred and twenty five rip currents and
made one hundred and eighty seven proactive safety interventions in
that same three day period about a week ago as
we speak, and is that an unusual condition at beaches
in Manatee County to see that number of rescues or

(01:01):
rip current incidents? Is this out of the norm?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Last week was definitely higher than normal. We haven't recorded
volumes like that in quite a long time. So it
definitely amped up, and our staff did a great job
and intervened as often as they did. One hundred and
thirty six times they got in the water and pulled
people out.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
How's the situation been so far this week as we've
been speaking, and how is it comparing and is it
more back in line with what you expect to see
this time of year.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
So crowd levels are high, they've remained high since summer started,
but the water conditions have actually calmed down a little bit.
Starting on Sunday, we started to see a decrease in
wave activity and rip current activity, and we do still
have rip currents today. I was just out there on
the beach, but definitely not to the extreme that we
had during those three days.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
All Right, still a number of days left in so
let's go over what people need to notice stay safe
on the beach and in the water. First, what they
should do if they swim and find themselves caught in
a rip current.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
So if pictures find themselves stuck in the rift current,
the best thing to do is remain calm, just let
it pull you out, Just maintain your floating capabilities tread
water and once you are no longer getting pulled out
by that rip current, you will swim parallel to shore,
get out of the rip current, and then swim back
into shore so you're not fighting the rip current.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
And some general rules for staying safe and keeping your
family safe on the beach. What plant should people make
before they head into the water.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Generalals. Just pay attention to the weather. The sun is
a big factor. We've had some hot days out here,
so make sure you stay hydrated, sun protection, shade, sunscreen,
things along that nature. Swimming at guarded beaches is always
a very good proactive start to the day. So we
have three guarded beaches here on Manatee County Beaches. We

(03:06):
have Manatee Public Beach, Cortes Beach and Coquina Beach. Lifeguards
are staffed there every day from ten to four. Just
know your limitations, have a buddy system whenever you're going
out into the water. If you have children or young adults,
make sure you're going out in the water with them
and talk to lifeguards. Know our flag system and what
to expect for the day.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
Captain Marshall Green with Manatee County Beach Patrol talking about
rip currents and staying safe on the beach. Captain, thank
you very much for joining us on beyond the News.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yes, sir, thank you again for having me