Jul 11, 2008 6:48 pm US/Eastern
Salisbury Beach Reporting Increase In Rescues
SALISBURY (WBZ) ―
Salisbury lifeguards have been extra busy this summer.
They're seeing more people staying local and coming to the beach, in part they believe, because of the economy and gas prices. But more beachgoers has meant more water rescues.
"We think of this as our vacation," said Peabody resident Judy Lombardi. "Instead of going all the way down to the Cape, we come up here."
Last year, life guards rescued 59 people all summer. So far this year, they've already rescued more than 30 people.
"We're not used to making this many in one day," said Salisbury State Reservation head lifeguard George Nigro. "We've made several so we're trying to do our best to prevent making any more rescues."
Lifeguards say another reason they have more rescues is because they are seeing more rip currents.
"From 2001 to about 2006, it was pretty quiet," Nigro said. "All of a sudden in 2006 it started pulling again."
"Some of the storms have washed some of the beach away," said lifeguard Aiden MacDonald. "So we have deeper troths and bigger rip currents forming because of that."
Lifeguards say they are bracing for stronger rip currents from Hurricane Bertha, and they warn swimmers to be extra safe when taking a dip.
If caught in a rip current, lifeguards say don't panic and don't swim toward the shore. They say to get out of the current, swim parallel to the shore.
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