DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Lifeguards are working to keep people safe as crowds grow along the coast for the Fourth of July.
In Daytona Beach, hundreds of families got an early start on Tuesday. It came as east Central Florida faces a heat advisory with feels-like temperatures of at least 108 degrees.
“My dad’s a roofer, so he’s always on the roof in the sun,” beachgoer Emily Lopez-Hernandez said. “It makes me value more what he does for us and our family, and that’s how we all came here to have fun.”
Volusia Beach Safety has also issued a warning about rip currents. Rip currents are powerful channels of fast-moving water that moves away from the shore. They often occur at low spots or at breaks in the sandbar as well as along or near jetties or piers.
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“Even with those small waves, what’s going to happen is a lot of what we get are people are playing and the wave comes through and kind of lifts you up, carries you out a little bit, sets you down, another wave comes through lifts you back up and carries you out further and before you know it you’re where you can’t touch,” Volusia County Beach Safety Capt. AJ Miller said.
Officials said around 180 people were rescued from the water over the last few days.
A big key to staying safe is always knowing the conditions of the water before entering by checking the lifeguard tower and knowing what to do if caught in a rip current.
While the first reaction might be to swim directly back to shore, anyone caught in a rip current should swim along or parallel to the shoreline. This will allow you to exit that strong channel of water pulling you outward. Once you feel the pull lessen, swim at an angle away from the current and toward the shore.
Monica Bowers, who is from Tennessee, said she was keeping safety top-of-mind while visiting with her family.
“We’ll stay close by, because we got a little one here,” Bowers said. “I love the beach. It’s my favorite place to be, especially on the Fourth of July.”
Volusia Beach Safety said fireworks and alcohol is also prohibited for anyone visiting county beaches.
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