Portal
Home
Calendar
Gallery
FAQ
Search
Register
Log inSwimmers keep eyes on riptides
Swimmers keep eyes on riptides
by Outspoken on Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:04 am
Swimmers keep eyes on riptides
Tropical Storm Bertha causes large waves this week and they come with a hidden danger.
By EDWARD D. MURPHY
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
OLD ORCHARD BEACH —To 11-year-old Brianna Warg, large waves Friday were a plus, even if they did bring along the possibility of dangerous riptides.
But Brianna's parents, Aggie and Victor Warg of Olivebridge, N.Y., were a bit more concerned.
"We were constantly watching her," Aggie Warg said.
"I was very paranoid about it," Victor Warg added, noting that he heard about riptides forming all along the East Coast in the past few days.
Still, "once you get out there and start having fun," he admitted, "you put it in the back of your mind."
Lifeguards at Old Orchard Beach pulled more than a dozen swimmers from the ocean Thursday after those beachgoers got caught in riptides -- the swift currents of water that rush out to sea away from the shore.
No one was seriously hurt, although "one girl definitely took on a lot of water," said Mike Burke, assistant lifeguard captain at Old Orchard.
Riptides were not believed to be a factor in the Wednesday drowning of a 54-year-old Portland man, Adam Sangillo, in Saco, according to Saco Deputy Fire Chief Ed Dube.
Riptides form most often when a strong storm sends larger-than-normal waves toward shore. The sea bottom provides a smoother route for all that water to rush out, so water will tend to funnel into that section and create a current that can carry even strong swimmers away from the beach.
Tropical Storm Bertha was hundreds of miles away from Maine and moving farther away this week, but it provided the large waves.
Burke said riptides often form around the Old Orchard Beach pier, although predicting where they might be away from the pier is a little more difficult.
He looks for spots where part of a wave seems much smaller than the rest of the wave on either side. That's probably where a riptide has formed, and is flattening out the wave on the surface, he said.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=200302&ac=PHnws
Photos By Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
DEALING WITH A RIPTIDE
* If you happen to be swimming in the ocean and find yourself drawn out to sea by a riptide, the first thing to do is to remain calm. Sure, the shore can seem miles away, but everything will be fine if you do not panic.
* Do not try to fight the current. Swimming against the current will only tire you out.
* Calmly swim sideways (parallel to the beach). Picture yourself to be in an invisible river. You cannot swim up river, but you can swim to shore. You might reach the shore down river, but you will reach it.
* Once you've freed yourself from the rip current, begin swimming to shore. As you approach the shore, do your best to signal for help from a lifeguard. Don't worry about how you'll look asking for help.
The most important thing to remember is that you must remain calm. Use your brain and you'll get back to shore. Source: eHow.com
Tropical Storm Bertha causes large waves this week and they come with a hidden danger.
By EDWARD D. MURPHY
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
OLD ORCHARD BEACH —To 11-year-old Brianna Warg, large waves Friday were a plus, even if they did bring along the possibility of dangerous riptides.
But Brianna's parents, Aggie and Victor Warg of Olivebridge, N.Y., were a bit more concerned.
"We were constantly watching her," Aggie Warg said.
"I was very paranoid about it," Victor Warg added, noting that he heard about riptides forming all along the East Coast in the past few days.
Still, "once you get out there and start having fun," he admitted, "you put it in the back of your mind."
Lifeguards at Old Orchard Beach pulled more than a dozen swimmers from the ocean Thursday after those beachgoers got caught in riptides -- the swift currents of water that rush out to sea away from the shore.
No one was seriously hurt, although "one girl definitely took on a lot of water," said Mike Burke, assistant lifeguard captain at Old Orchard.
Riptides were not believed to be a factor in the Wednesday drowning of a 54-year-old Portland man, Adam Sangillo, in Saco, according to Saco Deputy Fire Chief Ed Dube.
Riptides form most often when a strong storm sends larger-than-normal waves toward shore. The sea bottom provides a smoother route for all that water to rush out, so water will tend to funnel into that section and create a current that can carry even strong swimmers away from the beach.
Tropical Storm Bertha was hundreds of miles away from Maine and moving farther away this week, but it provided the large waves.
Burke said riptides often form around the Old Orchard Beach pier, although predicting where they might be away from the pier is a little more difficult.
He looks for spots where part of a wave seems much smaller than the rest of the wave on either side. That's probably where a riptide has formed, and is flattening out the wave on the surface, he said.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=200302&ac=PHnws
Photos By Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
DEALING WITH A RIPTIDE
* If you happen to be swimming in the ocean and find yourself drawn out to sea by a riptide, the first thing to do is to remain calm. Sure, the shore can seem miles away, but everything will be fine if you do not panic.
* Do not try to fight the current. Swimming against the current will only tire you out.
* Calmly swim sideways (parallel to the beach). Picture yourself to be in an invisible river. You cannot swim up river, but you can swim to shore. You might reach the shore down river, but you will reach it.
* Once you've freed yourself from the rip current, begin swimming to shore. As you approach the shore, do your best to signal for help from a lifeguard. Don't worry about how you'll look asking for help.
The most important thing to remember is that you must remain calm. Use your brain and you'll get back to shore. Source: eHow.com
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
