JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — As the beaches get busier with people visiting for spring break or summer vacations, safety is top of mind. A study done by Connecticut Trial Firm ranked Nassau County as the fifth dangerous beach in the U.S. based on the number of rescues per 100,000 people over the last 10 years.
The study states there are about 95 rescues per 100,000 people, with more than 11,000 total rescues since 2013. Fernandina Beach Ocean Rescue Lieutenant Haynes Cavender said the numbers in the study do not match his records. The study used data from the United State Lifesaving Association. According to data from the USLA, Fernandina Beach Ocean Rescue made close to 600 rescues since 2013.
Looking at the same data for Jacksonville Beach where twice as many people visited, Jax Beach Ocean rescue made close 1,198 rescues since 2013. That number is actually higher according to data recorded by Jax Beach Ocean Rescue.
Maxwell Ervanian, the Training and Operations Officer for Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue, said it is too soon to tell how this year's numbers will compare to years past, but it has been a steady month of spring breakers.
"In the month of March, we have had nine water rescues. Most of it's correlating to the start of the spring break season, seeing a lot of visitors and beachgoers going into the water that aren't used to going into the ocean in general," Ervanian explained.
Ervanian said they have seen an increase in rip current rescues, which they attribute to a lack of knowledge and experience.
"We definitely have seen an increase in rip current rescues within the last couple of years. But we correlate that directly to persons not being able to swim appropriately, or bathers and beachgoers not being the strongest swimmer or unable to identify the danger in the ocean," Ervanian said.
Despite the difference in the data between the beaches, the message from ocean rescue remains the same: stay aware in the water. Ervanian said their most common water rescue incident is people who think they are stronger swimmers than they really are.
"What occurs is you have people who think they're strong swimmers or they you know they can get by swimming in a pool, no problem. But when they come into the ocean, they need to realize that they may not always touch," Ervanian said.
Ervanian added parents should make sure their kids know which beach access they are closest to and to tell a lifeguard if they get separated. He also said if you do find yourself in a rip current, stay calm and start swimming diagonally towards shore.