Officials at Misquamicut State Beach say five lifeguards rescued more than three dozen swimmers on Thursday from dangerous rip currents brought on by Hurricane Cristobal far off the New England coast.
Misquamicut lifeguard manager Cooper Ferreria said no swimmers were seriously hurt, but one lifeguard was taken to the hospital for treatment of a spinal injury after getting tossed by a wave.
Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan said many of the beach-goers at Misquamicut on Thursday are from Connecticut.
The National Weather Service has issued an advisory for high surf of 6-12 feet and strong rip currents on the southern coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts through 8 a.m. Friday.
Waves reached a height of 8 feet Thursday morning.
Hanrahan said the swells are expected to begin dying down Friday afternoon and will return to normal over the weekend.
A rip current, or undertow, is a narrow current of water flowing away from the beach that can carry swimmers out to sea.
Local
Swimmers caught in a rip current are urged to swim parallel to the beach to get out of it. If you can't escape the current on your own, don't panic. Float or tread water and wave your hands in the air to alert a lifeguard.
