JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. - As areas along the First Coast prepare to feel the effects of Hurricane Michael, red flags are flying along Jacksonville Beach to remind the public of the ocean’s dangers.
“If you’re not in the ocean regularly and you’re not a strong swimmer, this won’t be the time [for you to swim],” Captain Rob Emahiser with Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue said.
Emahiser said every morning, members of Ocean Rescue evaluate the ocean conditions to determine what color flag to fly. Factors include the currents, size of surf, temperature and wind.
“Just the overall danger of the ocean that day,” Emahiser said.
Red flags, which have been flying for weeks, warn of rough surf and rip currents.
The presence of a colored flag, however, does not mean there’s a lifeguard on duty in that location. In fact, currently, there is only enough staffing to man three lifeguard stands in addition to the main lifeguard station at the end of Beach Boulevard.
“Some people might find they’re overwhelmed by the conditions and if it’s as much as half a mile or possibly more from one of the lifeguards, it’s going to take us some time to get there to rescue you,” Emahiser said.
While conditions have been rough for a considerable amount of time, Emahiser said the number of rescues has been relatively low. He attributed that to preventative measures. For example, a lifeguard at the top of the station’s 50-foot tower gets a bird’s eye view of much of the beach.
“And they can recognize the bad areas or the people that are going in [the water] in a dangerous area and send a truck down, dispatch a vehicle, and have guards go down and educate the public, let them know ‘hey, it’s really bad today, please swim near a lifeguard,’” Emahiser said. “And they’ll point out where the lifeguards are.”
Before the storms move over the First Coast, Emahiser urged people who are not strong swimmers to stay out of the ocean. He also urged those who decided to go into the water to only do so where a lifeguard is present.
To find out the locations of manned lifeguard stands on any given day, you can call Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue at (904) 249-9141.