4 Dead, 3 Missing At New York Beaches

cbs2chicago.com ^ | Jul 27, 2008 | CBS

[Alice in Wonderland]

Swimmers Warned About Dangerous Undertows, Rip Currents

Four people have died and three vanished within two days at beaches in New York City and on Long Island, authorities said. At least three more have been rescued, they said.

Officers were patrolling the waters off Coney Island Sunday in an attempt to search for a 10-year-old girl who went missing Saturday, CBS station WCBS-TV reported. Akira Johnson and her cousin Tyriek, 10, were playing in the ocean off West 23rd Street when they started to struggle in the water.

People on shore yelled for lifeguards to help.

"She's screaming, "There's kids drowning.' Then they took the little boy out and after that the little girls hand that was the last thing and she was gone," witness Wanda Gonzalez said.

"The last time her little arm went up and that's what I saw and she just disappeared she was gone," said witness Mark Vega.

In Long Beach Saturday evening, a swimmer or surfer died after he was spotted struggling about 150 yards from shore, said Police Lt. Bruce Meyer. Lifeguards were off-duty but rushed to the beach and reached the unconscious 29-year-old man within minutes. Rescuers and hospital staffers were unable to revive him, Meyer said.

A man in his 30s or 40s had to be pulled from the water off Coney Island. No information was immediately available on his condition.

A 42-year-old man died Saturday afternoon after swimming at a beach near the ocean in East Quogue in Suffolk County, said Southampton Town police.

On Friday, when meteorologists recorded a "moderate to strong" risk of rip currents, several swimmers were sucked out to sea, authorities said.

The Coast Guard called off its search Saturday for one of them, a 23-year-old man swept away off Jacob Riis Beach in Queens as a friend tried to rescue him. The beach is in an area known for strong undertows and rip tides, the Coast Guard said.

Authorities looked for the missing man for 23 hours with no success, the Coast Guard said. Firefighters rescued his friend, who was in stable condition Saturday.

At Long Beach, one man drowned and a teenager disappeared Friday while playing football in about 3 to 5 feet of water after lifeguard hours. Another swimmer, a man in his 20s, drowned Friday afternoon at Sandy Bar Beach on Long Island's East End, authorities said.

The spate of swimmers being swept away seemed unprecedented, police said. Long Beach Police Lt. Bruce Meyer said he "cannot recall there ever being back-to-back situations like this."

With stronger and more frequent rip currents possible over the weekend, "only experienced surf swimmers should enter the waters," said National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Connolly.

The rough seas were due to a strong storm system that brought 8-foot waves to the area earlier this week, Connolly said. The weather service monitors offshore conditions for swimmers but does not track trends over time.

[I see my hands]

It's poor advice for people who are weak swimmers.

Sound advice for people who are weak swimmers (and advice is too weak a word) is do not go in the ocean nor turn your back on the ocean when on shore.

Sound advice for weak and strong swimmers who find themselves caught in a rip tide is to swim 50 yards parallel to the shore and then attempt to swim in.

Of course this is not referencing keiki coves and the like.

[Alice in Wonderland]

In Long Beach, L.I., a 29-year-old Wantagh man died after he was spotted struggling about 150 feet from shore about 7 p.m. Saturday, police said. Off-duty lifeguards rushed to the beach and reached the victim within minutes, but he was unconscious and rescuers were unable to revive him, Police Lt. Bruce Meyer said.

Two teenagers were swept away off Long Beach on Friday as they played football in about 5 feet of water, authorities said. One body was recovered Friday and the other was still being sought.

Meyer said he “cannot recall there ever being back-to-back situations like this.”

The rough seas were due to a strong storm system that brought 8-foot waves to the area earlier this week, the National Weather Service said.

“The undertows and riptides have been particularly strong around the beaches for the past few weeks,” Coast Guard Cmdr. Greg Hitchen said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2008/07/26/2008-07-26_girl_10_lost_in_coney_island_waters.html

[I see my hands]

"If you are unable to swim out of the rip current..."

Swimming parallel to the shore gets you out of the rip. The above is meaningless.

You quote the government and feel good about yourself and I'll offer advice that saves lives.

[vbmoneyspender]

I think the basic concept you are having difficulty with is that generally, people who die in riptides are not strong swimmers.

[MHGinTN]

It takes a strong swimmer just to stay afloat while trying to swim parallel to the rip/beach. And eight foot waves would swamp even a good swimmer if they didn’t understand how to duck dwon into the wave as it breaks over them.

[vbmoneyspender]

You quote the government and feel good about yourself and I'll offer advice that saves lives.

And by the way, the gentleman I quoted is a United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. Should I discount his advice because the Coast Guard is part of the government.

[I see my hands]

"Should I discount his advice because the Coast Guard is part of the government"

No, rather because it is wrong and dangerous.

You're starting to argue like a lib. Ankles away, a hui ho.

[Alice in Wonderland]

Diving into and under the wave is a good idea, hoping that a monster wave isn’t right behind it. I’ve come out of the water bloodied by waves that have caught and tumbled me, scraping me along the ocean floor.

[vbmoneyspender]

You're starting to argue like a lib. Ankles away, a hui ho.

From what I've seen of libs, when they argue you with you, they rapidly descend into name-calling.

[I see my hands]

"From what I've seen of libs, when they argue you with you, they rapidly descend into name-calling"

In my opinion name calling is one of the few good things you can say about a lib. The Right could learn a thing or two. Much better than playing kissy face with the enemy.

A bad thing is the convolution of debate, e.g.:

"You shouldn't even attempt to swim, particularly if you are not a good swimmer.... its generally best to just float. As you float, you'll get pushed back towards shore."

and then offering reference that contradicts themselves later, feeling all proud and self satisfied.

Keep on dancing but find a new partner, I'm going to the beach.

[vbmoneyspender]

In my opinion name calling is one of the few good things you can say about a lib. The Right could learn a thing or two. Much better than playing kissy face with the enemy.

Interesting. Why argue then? Why not just start with the name-calling and be done with it?

[vbmoneyspender]

By the way, it looks like Mr. Spivak got his riptide safety tips from the USLA. The USLA is America's nonprofit, professional association of beach lifeguards and open water rescuers.