Beach Hazards to Watch for This Summer

San Clemente beaches have dozens of shifting rip currents that can sweep swimmers out to sea; they are the central danger lifeguards look for.

Although San Clemente and other agencies' lifeguards make thousands of marine rescues each year, they can't do everything.

We've already shared on Patch Today, we'll talk about some of the geographical features at the beach that can take swimmers by surprise.

Marine Safety Officer Ian Burton in May outlined a list of nasty beach and current perils that can kill.

The most common in San Clemente is a rip current, a plume of water that shoots straight out to sea from the beach, against the flow of incoming waves. Rip currents are recognizable by brown, choppy water caused by churned-up sand.

"Rip currents probably account for 85 to 95 percent of our rescues here in San Clemente," Burton said.

Where a rip current will strike is anyone's guess, although there tend to be consistent rip currents adjacent to the pier to the north and adjacent to the main Marine Safety Office to the north.

How to beat a rip current? Swim parallel to the shore until you're out of it, and don't panic. You then can paddle in. 

If you see someone struggling in a rip current, there is no lifeguard and you don't have a flotation device, swim out, stay out of arm's reach and instruct the person calmly how to swim out of it.

Other hazards

Lateral currents, which run parallel to the beach, can be dangerous as well.

"Lateral currents are a hazard because they can push you unknowingly toward objects," Burton said. "The pilings [of San Clemente Pier] are covered with barnacles and muscles and stuff that is going to slice and dice you up."

In-shore holes are small areas where the bottom suddenly drops out underwater very close to shore. These are especially dangerous to small children, who can take a step forward in seemingly shallow water and disappear.

The best advice to avoid all these dangers? First, take a look at the color of the flag on the lifeguard tower. Green means the sea is relatively calm, yellow means "use caution" and red means none but the most advanced swimmers should enter the ocean.

This is common sense to most Southern Californians, but Burton said it doesn't occur to many out-of-state tourists to check the flags.

Another easy way to avoid danger is to ask a lifeguard where a good place to swim is, or simply swim within view of a lifeguard.

"Your chances of drowning in a guarded body of water are 1 in 18 million," Burton said.