As Hurricane Erin gets closer, Delaware beaches are closing to swimmers for the second day in a row.
Due to rip currents and rough surf, ocean access was closed in Rehoboth, Dewey and Bethany beaches Aug. 19. The beach remains open in all three towns.
Rehoboth Beach lifeguards are prepared to keep the beach closed to swimmers through Friday but will assess conditions daily, Rehoboth spokesperson Erin Corcoran said. In Bethany Beach, there is a possibility of full beach closures later in the week, Bethany Beach Patrol Captain Joe Donnelly said.
"The ocean conditions are extreme right now with dangerously high surf and large rip currents. An added danger in the coming days could be debris in the water depending on the impact of the storm as it passes by," Donnelly said.
At Delaware State Parks, the all guarded beaches are closed to swimmers, spokesperson Beth Kuhles-Heiney said. That includes:
Tower and South Inlet beaches in Delaware Seashore State Park
Deauville Beach
Fenwick Island State Park beach
Cape Henlopen State Park main beach
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All state park drive-on crossovers are closed, but the beaches remain open to walkers.
Despite the closures, multiple people were seen in the water in Rehoboth and Dewey the afternoon of Aug. 18. In Rehoboth Beach, a police officer corralled two boys out of the surf.
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"These current riptides are extreme. No swimmer even with fins can fight that current. The very experienced swimmer will have to swim out of the rip and try to make it back to shore," Rehoboth Beach Patrol Captain Jeff Giles said. "Please, don’t put the lifeguards in this position, you are putting the lives of the rescuers at risk. Lifeguards saving lifeguards is a terrible and preventable situation!"
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 hurricane Aug. 19, but remains a massive and powerful storm. It isn't expected to make landfall, but pass hundreds of miles off the coast. The storm's effects will still be felt up and down the Atlantic coast, with Delaware likely to start experiencing tropical storm-force winds by Aug. 20.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at [email protected] or on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Hurricane Erin: Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany beaches ban swimming
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