Staff Writers

A day at the beach in Scarborough Beach State Park is keeping everyone busy these days, said lifeguard Kaycee Stevens.

By the middle of the afternoon last Thursday, Stevens said he had pulled two swimmers from the water in a season when rip currents have been strong and prevalent.

Rip current conditions at the state park off Black Point Road may not be as severe as those to the south in Old Orchard Beach, where more than 60 people have been assisted from the water by lifeguards since July 9.

Still, lifeguards supervised by park manager Greg Wilfert said swimmers need to be very aware of the sudden tidal pull from the shore.

“In a matter of seconds, you can be out 100 yards,” Wilfert said.

Charles Tilburg, a physical oceanographer and assistant professor at the University of New England, describes rip currents as very strong currents that pull away from the shore in areas where the beach changes.

“It’s more likely to happen in a place where there’s an indentation in the bottom,” he said.

Tilburg said currents are formed when waves stack up along the beach and rush back out at average speeds of 1 or 2 feet per second. Rip currents can move up to 8 feet per second and generally dissipate a quarter- to half-mile from shore, he said.

“They don’t stay strong for that long,” Tilburg said.

Tilburg said rip currents can be “extremely dangerous” because of their strength. Swimmers caught in a rip current quickly become exhausted and go under the water. He said most fatalities related to rip currents happen when swimmers panic.

“The first thing is don’t panic. As soon as you panic, you have a tendency to take in water or not think about what you’re doing,” said Old Orchard Beach Lifeguard Capt. Keith Willett.

Swimmers caught in a rip current should not fight the current, but swim parallel to the shore. Tilburg said rip currents are relatively narrow and the easiest way to break free is to swim out of it. Willett said swimmers also can let the current take and release them before swimming back to shore.

Tilburg said he did not follow that advice when he was caught as a teenager in a rip current in Florida. He swam hard and exhausted his energy before being pushed out of the edge of the current.

“It was terrifying,” he said. “I was just very lucky.”

Tilburg says there are ways to protect against rip currents even before getting in the water. The water near rip currents often is darker because of sediment below and foam and debris on top of the water can indicate a current, he said.

“You’ll almost see white water swirl and see a tunnel going out to the ocean,” said Morgan Swinburne, an Old Orchard Beach lifeguard.

Wilfert, who has patrolled the beach for 39 years, said town-owned Higgins Beach (which does not have lifeguards) and the state park are known for high surf. He credited his experienced crew of lifeguards for keeping swimmers safe.

“You can tell by the way (swimmers) are acting,” Wilfert said. “These guys can smell it.”

Rip currents can occur in common places and in calm conditions, Wilfert said.

Like Tilburg, he said strong storms in winter and early spring pulled away sand and created a steeper drop from shore.

Last Thursday, surf conditions were considered “yellow” in the color scale, signifying moderate surf and strong rip currents requiring caution. Beach conditions are graded from green at the safest to red, when swimming is prohibited. Yellow-red means swimming is discouraged, but not prohibited. Wilfert said surf last Thursday was higher than anticipated.

Stevens said the young swimmers he assisted were about 20 yards from shore – he watches swimmers in water beyond the break of the waves because they may be most susceptible to being pulled far from shore.

“They run out of energy real quick and don’t realize they are in trouble,” Stevens said.

Stevens said he looks for churning water that is a different color as it retreats from the beach to indicate rips currents might be at work.

The three Scarborough-owned beaches – Higgins, Pine Point and Ferry, do not have lifeguards. Fire Chief Michael Thurlow said emergency crews were not called to any local rescues last week but had assisted Old Orchard Beach rescuers three times.

In Old Orchard Beach, Swinburne said she hasn’t seen rip currents quite like current ones in the 10 years she has stood guard.

Swinburne, who stood in front of her lifeguard stand near the pier Friday afternoon watching boogie boarders bob in the water, said rip currents are “popping up everywhere,” pulling adults and children alike into deeper water.

Willett said rip currents have increased and have kept 20 lifeguards busy at 12 posts along four miles of beach.

Willett said he encourages swimmers to pay attention to warnings – Old Orchard currently flies yellow caution flags – and ask lifeguards where it is safe to swim.

“We’ll let you know where the safer place to swim is,” Swinburne said. “We tell people to be careful and be aware.”

In Saco, the five lifeguards who guard two short sections of beach are taking a proactive approach with swimmers, Saco Parks and Recreation Director Joe Hirsch said. The city is preparing to post bright red rip tide caution signs to make people aware of the danger.

“We want to get their attention,” Hirsch said.

More experienced lifeguards are at Kinney Shores, where rip currents have been stronger. Those lifeguards will talk to people on the beach to warn them about the rip currents and encourage them to stay out of the water, Hirsch said.

Friday morning, lifeguards helped three children and two adults from the water after they were caught in a rip current near Temple Avenue in Ocean Park.

In Scarborough, eight-year veteran lifeguard Cole Theriault recommended the same approach – talk to the lifeguards.

Theriault estimated he has assisted 20 to 30 swimmers over the years, and credited the local population’s familiarity with the beach as a reason he may see less action than his Old Orchard Beach counterparts.

Staff Writers can be reached at 282-4337.