DUCK, North Carolina — The Duck Surf Rescue lifeguards were out just after 9 a.m. to raise the single red flags from north Duck to the end of Southern Shores.
The expectation is that the surf conditions will only get worse, and what the surf looks like is top of mind for surf rescue agencies and vacationers.
“When it starts to get around Bermuda, that wave action starts to show up on our beaches, and we'll see just a little bit of a bigger wave and when we see a little bit of a bigger wave, our rip current threat is going to go higher," said Mirek Dabrowski, chief lifeguard for Duck Surf Rescue.
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Rip currents are nothing new in the Outer Banks and though Hurricane Ernesto is hundreds of miles away, hour by hour on Friday we saw the wave size continue to grow.
Single red flags mean that inexperienced swimmers are encouraged to stay out of the water. By Friday evening though, some areas had raised the double red no swimming flags.
The wave height, how fast the sets of waves are coming in and the wind, play a role in surf rescue agencies deciding if it’s too dangerous for swimmers to go in the water.
“Our waves are generated from the wind. As a hurricane comes in, and we've got greater winds, they're going to be sending those waves our way," said Dabrowski.
The sun was shining on Friday and for many it’s their last day of vacation in the Outer Banks. The beaches were crowded, but most vacationers we spoke with know their limits and are taking the potential dangers seriously.
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“When it's really big, like this, we'll take a few waves, but then go in. Because we don't like going out too far, or at least I don't, because I'm still pretty small. I know what the waves can do to me," said Ella Hickey, a 12-year-old who vacations in the Outer Banks with her family every year.
Lauren Bryant and Lindsay Fitz have been vacationing in the Outer Banks since they were kids and can now share that experience with their own children. They shared that they keep a close eye on their kids, while also taking the time to educate them about the conditions.
“We talked to them about the dangers of the rip current and the shifting of the tide, and that they needed to stay closer to us before they went anywhere, and only go with an adult," said Bryant.
“Just try to talk about safety, we try not to instill fear, but just let's be wise, let's be safe," said Fitz.
Surf Rescue Agencies understand that Saturday and Sunday are changeover days. The lifeguards know they’ll need to speak to everyone possible about the current water conditions.
“What we try to do is just advise everybody, stay the course with what we're trying to do. Make sure that we're getting those advisories out, make sure that we have our flags up and continue to do the job that we basically were trained and asked to do," said Dabrowski.
