Powerful rip currents swept through North Carolina over the weekend, forcing more than 150 swimmers to be rescued last week, and Fox Weather predicts rip currents will remain a danger along the Mid-Atlantic coast through at least next weekend.
WNCN reported that 152 rip current rescues took place between the New Hanover and Carteret County coasts from Wednesday through Saturday, with more than 80 of those taking place in Carolina Beach.
The dangerous currents are being caused by an east-southeast swell and this weekend’s full moon, according to the National Weather Service.
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Rip currents have already killed many people this summer, and the Fox Forecast Center expects them to be a problem through at least next weekend, Fox Weather reported. At least seven people have died in rip currents in Florida in the past few days, the station reported.
If you get caught in a rip current, there are signs warning you to swim along the shore until you are out of the current. (Hutchinson Island, Florida Facebook Page)
In Florida, there is a high risk of rip currents along the Panhandle, while there is a moderate risk for rip currents along the state’s east coast from West Palm Beach to Jacksonville.
Much of North Carolina’s coast was at risk of moderate rip currents over the weekend, and swimmers were advised to stay close to lifeguards and were warned to stay out of the water in high-risk areas that could be dangerous for swimmers of all levels.
As of Tuesday, there was a moderate risk of rip currents along Cape Hatteras and a high risk just south along the North Carolina coast. The National Weather Service issued a Coastal Hazard Warning on Tuesday for North Carolina’s coast from Cape Lookout to Surf City, which will last until at least tonight.
Reports of shark bites, an alligator scare and two young people stranded about a half mile offshore made it a busy weekend for lifeguards and emergency responders in North Carolina.
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The Outer Banks of North Carolina are lined with oceanfront beach houses. (John Graeme/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Rescuers rescued two young people on a paddleboard who were adrift about 2,000 feet off the coast of Oak Island on Wednesday, according to WNCN.Oak Island Fire Department told the media that Oak Island Water Rescue Team and the U.S. Coast Guard joined the rescue effort at about 3:35 p.m., using a drone equipped with a camera and speaker to communicate with the two young men.
A 20-year-old man was bitten on the lower leg while swimming east of Sunset Beach on Tuesday and was transported to the hospital “immediately” by Brunswick County Emergency Medical Services, according to Sunset Beach police.
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The U.S. Coast Guard and Oak Island Water Rescue Team rescued two boys who were adrift on a paddleboard about a half-mile off the coast of Oak Island last Wednesday. (Oak Island Fire Department)
The incident was initially reported as a shark bite, but police could only confirm that cuts on the man’s legs were caused by “some type of marine life,” according to WNCN.
Also on Thursday, an alligator was spotted hiding under a car outside a Mexican restaurant in Sunset Beach. WNCN reported that the alligator was only five feet long, but its head poking out from under the car “appeared menacing.”
Sunset Beach Police officers had to control and remove an alligator that had crawled under the driver’s seat of a car last week. (Sunset Beach Police Department)
“When officers arrived, the alligator was hiding under the vehicle with its head peeking out of the driver’s side door, blocking access to the vehicle,” police told reporters.
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Rescuers and police were able to control the alligator and lead it to a nearby pond, police said.
