INDIAN RIVER INLET, Del. - Surfing near the Indian River Inlet is a daily activity for Nathan Phillips, who has been teaching kids how to ride the waves for the past seven years. However, he points out that there are significant safety problems in this area.
"You have to be super aware," Phillips said. "As a teacher of a surf school, we have to explain to the kids, you know, don't lay and feel free first in the water. Be careful when you're coming up on the beach because you'll scrape your knees up. We had somebody scrape their knee up yesterday."
Phillips now wears protective shoes to safely touch the bottom of the inlet, something he didn't have to do in the past.Â
Surfers and beachgoers must be cautious of the debris left around the north side of the Indian River Inlet. Some hazardous items include chunks of asphalt, concrete, and even boards with rusty nails.
Linda and Lynn Firestone witnessed the dangers firsthand on Monday, noting that "there were three large boards that had come in on shore and there was one out in the ocean, sticking up out of the water."
The origin of this wreckage traces back to a previous bridge that was being dismantled when Hurricane Sandy struck. According to Crystal Stokowski, who has made it her mission to clear out the trash, the hurricane destroyed the old bridge, scattering its remains into the ocean.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) received a grant to cover the debris with sand. However, since 2019, erosion has caused the sand to wear away, revealing the wreckage once again.