As the NEXT Weather Team watches Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda, rip currents may be the biggest threat South Florida will face now through Monday.
Along the beaches of Broward and Miami-Dade Counties on Sunday, you’ll see red flags indicating that there are rip currents.
“The water’s choppy — there’s seaweed everywhere,” Nicole Pledger said. “Unless we’re going to come out looking like the Loch, what is the Loch Ness monster? It is not the time to get in the water today.”
More than the seaweed, it’s the rip currents keeping her from going in the water.
“Recently, a star, Malcolm Jamal Warner, went swimming, and he ignored the warnings about the rip currents, and so tragically, his life was lost,” she said. “So for anyone who’s considering getting out there, maybe pressing their luck, trying their luck, I would say just stay on the beach and enjoy nature and enjoy the waves, but definitely there are things that are lurking there that are beyond our control.”
The National Weather Service has issued a high risk of rip currents across the eastern beaches of Florida, which is the highest warning level on its scale.
While Pledger is heeding the warnings, others are taking the risks.
“The water is really hot,” Clara Gracie said. “In Brazil, the water is really cold, so I love it. It’s perfect.”
Gracie is visiting from Brazil, where she said the water conditions are worse.
“It has like a lot of waves, but we can swim like perfectly,” she said.
How to escape rip currents
If someone does get caught in a rip current, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the best thing you can do is stay calm. The rip current will not pull you underwater — just further out into the ocean. Wave and call for help, and once you are out of the rip current, do not swim back against the current because you will tire out. Swim out of it, parallel to the beach, before heading back to shore.
“Just watching the waves and listening to the sounds is relaxing,” Shani Howard said.
On Sunday, there is a tropical storm marine watch in place, which means boaters should consider altering their plans and remaining in port and securing their vessels from severe seas.
The rip current warning is in effect on Monday evening.
