1st Street (PP, W, H, S)- REMOVED for remainder of 2021.3rd Street (H,O, S, W) - REMOVED for remainder of 2021.Avalon Drive - REMOVED for remainder of 2021.Eden Street - REMOVED for remainder of 2021.Helga Street - REMOVED for remainder of 2021.(Please note: weather or labor restrictions may mandate reduction in staffing and/or removal of lifeguard stands)
However, if you have an emergency and do not see a lifeguard present, dial 9-1-1. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the end of September 2021, with five roving patrol vehicles. Alcohol is involved in most of these accidents.Lifeguards will be on the following stands from 10:00 a.m. Recreational boating is second only to highway transportation in the number of fatalities that occur each year. Use one-third of the fuel to go, one-third to get back, and keep one-third in reserve.Īlways tell someone where you will be boating, when you will be back, what your boat looks like, and other identifying information. Use the "one-third rule" in fuel management. Pyrotechnic red flares, orange smoke, orange distress flags, and electric distress lights must be in good working order and easily accessible. Have visual distress devices approved by the Coast Guard on board. Equal distribution of weight will limit the possibility of capsizing. Keep in mind the size and weight of each person. Don't exceed the limit allowed by the boat's capacity plate.
Limit the number of passengers in a small boat. If it looks like storms are brewing or the water is very choppy, wait for another day to go boating. Check the weather and water conditions before leaving the shore. A PFD is the best protection against drowning. Everyone is at risk because the boat's motion, coupled with alcohol, increases the chances of losing balance and falling overboard.Įveryone on the boat should wear a Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD) or life jacket. The "designated driver" system doesn't work in boating. Boating while intoxicated is just as dangerous as drinking and driving. It can be safe, as well as fun, if the fundamental rules of boating are understood and observed.ĭon't drink and boat. For many individuals and families this is a favorite summer pastime. The sun, water, and wind can make for a great day to go cruising in a boat. You can also try to swim parallel to shore until you are out of the current, then swim directly toward shore. Do not try to swim against the current as this is very difficult, even for an experienced swimmer. A rip current is not an "undertow" - it will not pull you under. If you get caught in a rip current, try to relax. Waves usually do not break as readily in a rip current as in adjacent water. The water may be colder than the surrounding water. The water in a rip current may be dirty (from the sand being turned up by the current).
You can sometimes identify a rip current by its foamy and choppy surface. Longshore currents, inshore holes, and other bottom conditions contribute to the formation of rip currents. Rip currents may pull continuously, but they can suddenly appear or intensify after a set of waves, or when there is a breach in an offshore sandbar. Some 80% of rescues by lifeguards at America's surf beaches are due to persons being caught in rip currents. They can flow to a point just past the breaking surf (the surf line) or hundreds of yards offshore. Rip currents can be 50 feet to 50 yards or more wide. If it converges in a narrow, river-like current moving away from shore, it forms what is known as a rip current. Gravity pulls this water back toward the sea. When waves break, water is pushed up the slope of the shore. Sea waves usually result from storms, often hundreds of miles from shore. Most waves are formed by wind on the water.
Learn how to swim & know basic water safety.In order to enjoy the ocean environment and a safe visit to the beach, the City of Virginia Beach Department of Convention and Visitor Development offers the following tips for ocean swimming courtesy of the city's own Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.