4th of July Beach Safety

Thousands of people will be flocking to the beaches of the Coastal Empire and Low Country this 4th of July weekend.

Tybee Island Ocean Rescue is fully staffed and expecting to be extremely busy.

Last year, when they had the fireworks on the 4th, they had 80 incidents, which included 3 rescues, 2 assists, 28 medicals, 23 lost persons and 7 fights.

News 3’s Randi Hempel has advice from Ocean Rescue officials on what you can do to keep you and your loved ones from becoming a statistic this year.

“We’re really excited to see all of the fire works and but you really have to be careful because you can get lost really easily here like I did the first time I came down here,” explains Samantha Taylor who’s at the beach with her friend, Jana Parsons, from Richmond Hill.

“How scary was that?” I ask.

“It was really scary because I had to stay with the lifeguard for the fireworks until I found them,” explains Samantha.
   
You don’t want your holiday weekend to turn terrifying like it does for 20-30 people per day, so remember this; all of the lifeguard towers are numbered.  Point the numbers out to your children.  If anyone gets lost, go to a guard as soon as possible.

And listen to those lifeguards when they warn you.

“All the pile on’s that are in the water are completely covered with razor sharp barnacles and if you’re not familiar with barnacles, they grow on the rock jetties too, which is another reason we keep people off, but they have bacteria in them and if you get cut with them, usually it’s a very deep cut and an infection follows if you don’t clean it properly,” explains Lt. Hunter Robinson of Tybee Island Ocean Rescue.

“It’s just like on the road, police vehicle and a fire truck.  We have kawasolki mules and the PD has 4 of them.  We have 3 of them and it’s the same as the street.  When we come down the street with the lights on, it means we’re going to an emergency,” says Robinson.

Ocean Rescue officials will be coning off a path from 14th Street until 18th Street for emergency vehicles to get through.  They’ll then have direct lines from each lifeguard tower to the water in case they have to go in for a rescue.

The water’s not the only danger at the beach.  The sun brings heat exhaustion and a bad burn, so stay hydrated and wear sunscreen.

There are a few other reminders.  Glass is prohibited on the beach.  It comes with a hefty price tag; $87.50 per bottle.

Always remember to swim with a buddy and never swim in unguarded areas.

Ocean Rescue will staff the beach from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. tomorrow and until 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.