 |
Imagine the terror a mother feels when she watches from the beach as her 9-year-old daughter is suddenly swept out in water over her head by a dangerous rip current.
That's what I experienced a week ago as we vacationed at the beach with family and friends, and that's what has given me nightmares ever since.
Now, after my daughter and I nearly drown, all I want to do is scream to everyone who will listen, "Warning! Warning! Danger! Danger!", like the robot did on the TV show "Lost In Space."
This is our story, and I tell it to enlighten others about the dangers of rip currents.
A week ago we were vacationing at Emerald Isle, N.C. A tropical system that had trapped us indoors with heavy rains had just passed. Our crew of six moms and 11 kids were more than ready to flee the beach house and hit the beach. We checked the weather and saw no rip current warnings in our area, so we gave the green light.
Once on the beach, four moms took on lifeguarding duties for seven of the kids who wanted to swim. Another mom and I had been former lifeguards, and yet another mom had grown up swimming in the swift currents of the Edisto River. I waded in hip deep to check any currents and found none. Satisfied, I returned to my chair at the water's edge.
Between the moms, we decided I was to watch the girls and the others would watch the boys since they were farther out. My nine-year-old daughter Jacey was kneeling in approximately 18 inches of water. She would take a breath, float on the top of the water and watch the ocean floor as the waves rolled over her. This was one of her favorite things to do, and she held her breath for long periods of time.
Having a golden tan, Jacey blended in with the surf and sand, so she was a challenge to watch. I counted heads with each wave that came in. "One, two ... there's Jacey's head popping up ... three."
I pulled out my camera to take pictures. One of our youngest charges was playing right in front of us, so I snapped a photo. I zoomed over to take a picture of Jacey and her buddies playing in about a foot and a half of water. Then, I zoomed out and took a photo of the whole group, wiped the lens and put the camera down beside me. I looked back up and counted. The girls were now right in front of us. Strange, I thought, as I counted, "One, two ... but where is Jacey?" I stood, scanned the surf, took a breath.
"Jacey!" I yelled.
Her head popped up, but she was now being quickly swept out, and I knew immediately a rip current had her in its grip. She was over her head as she swept pass one of our group members, Jamie Bull, a 6 foot 2 inch teenager who weighs 240 pounds. Jamie was also feeling the effects of the rip currents.
"Grab Jacey!" I screamed as I sprinted and swam into the water.
One teenager tried to pull Jacey in, but the current pulled her right back out.
"Get back to shore!" I shouted to the other kids as I surged ahead.
I couldn't lose sight of her head in the water, I thought.
Lifeguarding experience told me I should grab a "boogey board" to keep Jacey up out of the water once I got to her, but a mother's instincts screamed for me to keep my eyes riveted on Jacey as she would grab a breath and disappear below the surface. I heard the other moms screaming out the children's names, accounting for all of them but Jacey.
Having been a competitive swimmer for 15 years, I sprinted as hard as I could to where she was and grabbed my precious daughter. She gave me the biggest hug and exhaled, saying, "Thank you, Momma!"
Those words were music to my ears, for I then realized she had thankfully not inhaled any ocean water. My next realization was that we were now in chest-deep water and still being pulled out. I looked to my right and realized our 240-pound friend was also being pulled out.
"Not good!" I thought.
Soon the water was over my head. I turned parallel to shore and placed Jacey on my stomach as I floated on my back, letting her catch her breath.
"We have to swim, Jacey," I told her. "You okay?"
She assured me she was.
Waves continued to break over us, so I held Jacey up over my head as each wave assaulted us. Fighting panic and internal urgings to head directly to shore, I keep telling myself, "Parallel! Parallel! We must swim parallel to shore! Be calm. We are going to kick this thing!"
I kicked for all I was worth, grabbing a breath and trying to break free from the current. As the third or fourth wave broke over my head, I realized how people get so tired from fighting the waves. I wondered how long we could continue like this. It was then that I saw Jamie Bull, who had followed us parallel to shore and had regained his footing.
"Can you head to shore?" I asked him.
He nodded.
"Can you take Jacey?"
Again he nodded.
So thankful and so tired, I placed Jacey in his arms and urged him toward the shore. Like a draft horse, he trudged through the waves and against the current until he reached the shore safely with my daughter.
I still couldn't touch bottom, so I continued swimming the backstroke parallel to shore. By then, the other former lifeguarding mom had organized our beach crew into a human chain.
"Ride the waves, Miss Julie!" shouted one teenager as they all encouraged me from shore with their hands outstretched. I turned toward the shore and sprinted into the breakers. Finally feeling the bottom, I leapt with each wave, pushing on the bottom and bounding forward. I finally grasped the last link in the human chain and was pulled to safety.
I couldn't get over the fact that Jacey was only in less than two feet of water when she got sucked out by the rip currents. I couldn't get over the fact that we were so very lucky to have fought and won the battle over Mother Nature. We were truly blessed by brave friends who helped.
The very next day, an old fisherman we nicknamed "The Salty Dog" stopped by and watched the waves for a few minutes and then approached us.
"Don't let any of the kids go swimming here," he warned. "There is a terrible rip current right here. It is the worst that I've seen on this beach!"
I told him of our near tragedy and asked him to show me the signs to look for in a rip current. I knew what one was and how they were formed, but I was ignorant as to the warning signs. He said to look for the waves. They should be consistent and coming parallel to shore. They should break evenly. If the wave isn't breaking, then it is deeper in that location and/or a current is running against the wave. Also, look at the beach. It should be flat, not dipping. In addition, if it is shelly, then there is a current that is taking away the sand. Look to see if the water is discolored and watch to see if sea form is being sucked away from the shore.
I thanked him for this important lesson and encouraged him to stop and tell anyone about these rip currents. Because of the decreased wave action, these currents deceive people into thinking the water in that location is calm. But, like a Venus flytrap lures in its victims, so does the rip current.
I stopped more than four families over the next three days from swimming in that particular location where we nearly drown. Some were already waist deep and were having trouble exiting the water. I passed along the Salty Dog's advice as I'm passing it along to you now.
"Warning! Warning! Danger! Danger!"
Why rip currents form
According to the National Weather Service, as waves travel from deep to shallow water, they will break near the shoreline. When waves break strongly in some locations and weakly in others, this can cause circulation cells which are seen as rip currents: narrow, fast-moving belts of water traveling offshore.
The NWS reports that rip currents are the leading surf hazard for all beachgoers. They are particularly dangerous for weak or non-swimmers.
"Rip current speeds are typically 1-2 feet per second. However, speeds as high as 8 feet per second have been measured -- this is faster than an Olympic swimmer can sprint," the NWS reports. "Thus, rip currents can sweep even the strongest swimmer out to sea."
The National Weather Service reports that more than 1,000 drownings due to rip currents occur every year in the U.S.
T&D Correspondent Julie Campbell Sohm can be reached by e-mail at sohm23@earthlink.net. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.