If you are planning a trip to the beach on Wednesday or later this week, you'll see extra lifeguards at work. Hurricane Chris and the remnants of the system could create stormy seas.
There are typically four lifeguards on one end of Misquamicut Beach. On Wednesday, there will be six and on the other side of the pavilion, there will be eight to ten when there are usually six. It's all in preparation of tougher currents.
Beach-goers are getting ready for potentially life-threatening rip currents at Misquamicut State Beach. Hurricane Chris is off the coast of North Carolina and is churning the surf as it pushes north toward New England. Westerly Town Beach lifeguards are putting four to six more guards on the sand, especially since Connecticut beach-goers flock there.
"A lot of people come down here, they don't really know how the ocean works and stuff like that, and they're gone," said Joe Sullivan, a Westerly Town Beach lifeguard.
Sullivan has guarded the beach for two years and knows the signs of a rip current.
"If you see kind of a murky area, try to stay out of that because that's what's going to suck you out and leave you stranded out there," Sullivan said.
Mike Kells, a fellow lifeguard and surfer also knows the signs.
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"It just puts up a warning sign for me to be more cautious. If I'm not a strong swimmer and don't have a flotation device with me," he said.
Cathy D'Amico and her kids are staying away from the grip of the rip.
"We're not going in too far today. We're going to stay, at, probably knee level. Definitely. It's way too strong," D'Amico said.
Lifeguards say if you get caught in a rip current, stay calm and do not fight the current. If you're able to swim, swim sideways or parallel to the beach.
