Hazardous Surf Leads to Deadly Weekend at the Jersey Shore

It should come as no surprise that I love going to the beach any chance I get outside of the Lite Rock studio, but the one thing I never do is take the ocean for granted. Especially when there are warnings to stay out of the water.

Last weekend's first full weekend of fall felt more like a warm, summer August day. I was well aware of the hazardous surf, rip current warnings, and of course the lack of lifeguards. All you had to do was to take one look at the rough waves, which looked like walls of water coming at you, to know the most I would go in was ankle deep. Unfortunately, many did not take the warnings seriously and decided to go in for a swim.

According to NJ.com, there were over 150 rescues and 3 deaths due to the treacherous water up and down the Jersey Shore. In South Jersey, there were 20 rescues alone in Atlantic City and 3 in Ocean City. Further north, over 39 rescues were reported in Long Branch and 35 in Belmar in Monmouth County.

The dangerous surf and high risk rip currents due to Hurricane Maria will continue through Thursday. It would be wise to stay out of the water, especially if you value your life.