OCEAN CITY, Md. - Recent water rescues in Ocean City are serving as a reminder of how quickly conditions can become dangerous, whether swimmers are entering the Atlantic Ocean or boaters are heading onto the bay.
The dangers were highlighted on Sunday when beach patrol assisted the Ocean City Fire Department in rescuing a paddleboarder near 128th Street. Firefighters say the paddleboarder was nearly 800 yards offshore.
But recent rescues have not been limited to the ocean. Also Sunday, firefighters responded to the Isle of Wight Bay for a sinking boat, underscoring the potential hazards for boaters as well as swimmers.
Ocean City Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin says nearly every water rescue handled by beach patrol involves rip currents, one of several hazards visitors can encounter in the ocean.
“People come here on vacation; it’s the one time of year they go into the ocean,” Arbin says. “They’re used to their backyard pool, they’re used to a community pool. The ocean is not that way. There’s currents, there’s changes in depth.”
Unlike a swimming pool, Arbin says, the ocean does not come with signs warning swimmers about changing water depths and other potential hazards.
“At the end of a pool you’ll see a sign, ‘No diving, 2 ft.,’” Arbin says. “We don’t have those out here. So again, just be aware, it’s a different environment.”
Arbin says the number of rescues is down when compared to previous seasons, but beach patrol has experienced weekends with as many as 200 rescues.
Beach patrol encourages visitors to wait until lifeguards are on duty before entering the water.
“We have a saying: Keep your feet in the sand until lifeguards are in the stand,” Arbin says.
OC Bay Hopper Capt. Frank Cini says boat traffic can become particularly busy later in the day near the White Marlin Marina. Before taking passengers onto the water, he says he carefully reviews safety procedures with them.
“You have speed, you have current, you have boat traffic, you have tide and current and things like that that all culminate very quickly,” Cini says. “And you have to react based on your experience and situational awareness.”
Cini says conditions on the water can change quickly as several factors come together.
“You’re talking about dynamic forces that come together quick,” he says.
Whether on the ocean or the bay, those who know the waters best say preparation and awareness are critical as thousands of visitors take to the water in and around Ocean City.
