VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — While it might seem like a harmless activity, lifeguards are warning about the dangers of digging large holes on the beach.
"Digging major holes in sand that you can put your body into is deadly," said Tom Gill, the chief of the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service.
Sadly, it happened over the weekend on the Outer Banks when the National Park Service says sand and a dune collapsed on a teenager, killing him.
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Gill wasn't involved in the incident but heard about it, and said it is something lifeguards have to keep an eye out for.
"While you may be sitting there all fine and dandy at some point it's going to get worse and worse. If you're next to a dune, [it's] worse because then you're going to have that much more sand coming on you in an instance," he said.
Gill says lifeguards train in the event they have to rescue someone from the sand, which he says takes multiple people, and it's not easy.
"You've got to displace the sand. You can't dig it out because when you dig out sand, it's falling right back on you so you have to displace it outward," he said.
Starting this upcoming weekend at the Oceanfront, lifeguard stands will be going up. This past weekend was the first lifeguards patrolled the beach with that now continuing through mid-October.
Gill says the number one risk at the Oceanfront is rip currents.
"If you come out and you're bringing the kids and all of the sudden it's really hot and everyone wants to get in the water, move your family towards a stand that has a lifeguard on it," said Gill.
So far at the Oceanfront, there haven't been any major incidents, but it's a tragic start to beach season on the Outer Banks.
