Rehoboth lifeguards report a rough surf weekend

The low-pressure weather system that produced mild temperatures at the Delaware coast this weekend also contributed to rip-roaring wave action and dangerous conditions for swimmers.

Rehoboth Beach Patrol Captain Kent Buckson said, in fact, the Friday-Sunday three-day stretch was “one of the most dangerous weekends I’ve seen in several years.” The conditions coincided with one of the resort’s busiest weekends with tens of thousands of people visiting the beach.

“It was exciting, and stressful. I’m surprised everyone made it out alive, to tell you the truth,” Buckson said.

In an interview, Buckson said his lifeguards took part in more than 200 rescues and assists on the sand, nearly all of them cases where people were flailing in the surf.

For part of Saturday, Buckson said, lifeguards enforced no-swimming conditions, and on all three days, there were “red flag” periods when they advised beachgoers to stay dry.

Buckson shared a video on Facebook of one rescue, showing two Rehoboth lifeguards — William James and Jacob Fall — grabbing a male swimmer under his arms and helping him stumble out of pounding surf. At one point, a wave about eight feet high engulfs the swimmer and one of the lifeguards.

Buckson said a low-pressure system and steady east winds were responsible for the strong waves. Rip currents, which can carry even strong swimmers farther out to sea than they want to be, were intense throughout the weekend, he said.

“I’m extremely proud of my staff,” Buckson said. “They were challenged.”

In Ocean City, Maryland, beach patrol captain Butch Arbin said lifeguards made 77 rescues Sunday, with only a handful made on Friday and Saturday.

Contact James Fisher at (302) 983-6772, on Twitter @JamesFisherTNJ or jfisher@delawareonline.com. Delmarva Media Group reporter Ryan Marshall contributed to this story.