Officials Warn Labor Day Beachgoers About Rip Currents
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Many people will be making their way down to the Jersey Shore this holiday weekend as they get one last dip in the water before summer officially wraps up.
Storms churning off the coast have made for rough waters, and that raises the danger for swimmers, even those who only go in up to their waist.
Mike Lawrence is Chief of the Beach Haven Beach Patrol, and he says, if you are caught in a rip current, one of the most important things to do is keep your cool.
"It doesn't last very long. It'll take you out at the most a couple hundred yards. Again, remain calm. Get control of your senses and swim parallel to shore until you're a good distance away from it, and then start making your way into shore. The worst thing you can do is panic," he said.
Lawrence says common sense goes a long way in keeping safe, so check with lifeguards to see what the risk of rip currents is for that day. And when you do go in the water, make sure you keep close to those lifeguards.