VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The weather may look pleasant to start the weekend, but lifeguards are warning that looks can be deceptive in the water.
Red flags are being posted along the Virginia Beach Oceanfront as well as on Outer Banks, North Carolina beaches. The flags mean beachgoers should not go swimming in the water, due to an increase in rip currents.
A rip current is a strong, narrow current of water moving directly away from the shore. The big waves might look inviting, but the current underneath can be dangerous.
"The conditions are so bad that not even the surfers are coming out. So when they don't come out, it means that absolutely nobody should be getting in the water," said Tom Gill, chief of the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service.
The increase in rip currents is a result of Hurricane Earl. The Category 2 storm is nowhere near the East Coast; as of Friday morning, its center is actually northeast of the island of Bermuda. However, Earl is still creating swells along our shoreline that create the risk of rip currents.
"If you get in the water on 20th street, you are going to be under this pier in just moments with this quick-moving water," said Gill.
The National Weather Service recommends staying calm when you get caught in a rip current.
Don't try to swim against the current nor swim to shore. Swim along the shoreline until you can escape the current. When you're free, swim at an angle away from the current toward the shore.
If you need help, face the shore and yell or wave.