Dangers in the water

AccuWeather

Swimming in the ocean or even one of the Great Lakes is always a fun activity during the summer, but you always need to be prepared for changing conditions.

Transcript

00:00We have made it. The unofficial start of summer is upon us, which means that in the weeks ahead,

00:05many of us are going to be headed to a spot on the map that is blue. However, if you're headed

00:10to an ocean or even a great lake, you'll want to use some caution venturing into the water

00:14because there can be hidden dangers that quickly become deadly. We'll start with some of the basics

00:19because we do have a number of different flags that we talk about at beaches. Not all beaches

00:24have them, but you can see when they do, they display different colors. Purple highlighting

00:28dangerous marine life. Usually that means jellyfish in the ocean. However, if you're near a fishing

00:33pier, it can mean sharks. Something to keep in mind. Meanwhile, green, yellow, red highlight the

00:40risks of hazards associated with the surf. So how strong those waves are and whether or not there

00:45are rip currents or how frequent those rip currents are occurring. What are rip currents? We have waves

00:51at the beach. They work the water into the beach line, so into the coastline, but eventually that

00:56water has to go back out and does so in a channel or a current that takes you out to sea. Usually

01:01very fast moving, so it's impossible to swim against. Your escape route is swimming parallel

01:06to the beach and then coming back in so that you're not fighting the rip current, which can lead to

01:10drownings. In fact, in the United States, the United States Lifesaving Association says that there's

01:15a hundred deaths each year from rip currents. So it is very important that if you find yourself in

01:20one, you relax and stay calm. Don't panic and never try to swim against that current. Try to float with

01:27things or try to go along the beach parallel to the shore and then work your way back in or at least

01:33flag for help and get a flotation device nearby. If you're on a beach and you see someone struggling

01:38in a rip current, never try to swim out to get them help. Make sure you call for a lifeguard.

01:43If you don't have a lifeguard around, call 911 and throw something that floats aboard or some sort

01:48of flotation device towards them.

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