It’s not callous to be factual. It’s inexperience that gets people in trouble. When waters are actually dangerous. They only let surfers in tge water and we don’t die. I think we’ve had 11 drowning already and it’s under relatively tame conditions. I’m not sure what exactly happened to Ryan Mallet and it’s very sad but obv something preventable happened.
Always irked me that this son of b!#$ never got the blame. Brody tried to close the beach and when the kid got killed he got slapped by mama while the Mayor skated... Now Hit me with the ole off topic. Also, it's crazy to me to see so many tourists who likely don't have an ocean at home swimming in rough waters even into dusk. We have lost several on the east coast over the years. Always a tragedy
Everyone is playing with different hands. Some folks can swim like fish. Some folks can swim for like 2 minutes. It's those folks that are going to drown. Especially if they dont know a thing about rip tides.
Very true, but what's sad about your statement, is that salt water is very buoyant. Floating in it requires very little effort. People have stayed afloat in the ocean for days with no flotation devices. But, as has been pointed out here in multiple posts, the people that drown don't understand that. They have weak swimming skills, don't understand the ocean, and have a primal fear of drowning, which leads to a hysterical, irrational panic, that results in drowning. I haven't looked at the news on this in two days, but the last time I did, I think all of the people that drowned were from other states, which of course fits the above equation.
Yeah I recall one experience clearly even though it was 20 years ago. We were renting beach houses on Grayton Beach (near Santa Rosa), and hungover from the night before I ran out of the house one morning straight into the water — and immediately realized what was happening. I was in no shape for a strong swim in that condition and it was scary. Fortunately letting the current move me down the beach I was able to make it back in. As stated above, they don’t take you down, they pull you out
I did but SanDiego is way too expensive for me to buy and very overcrowded these days. I travel if I want to surf. Hurricanes provide a little fun here and there but fishing is great here so that’s my outlet more often now.
A little closer to home, NC beaches like Wrightsville and Topsail are known locally for surfing. We were in Emerald Isle (where the coastline runs east-west) and the body surfing was wicked. The waves would pick you up and shove you forward and then you’d feel your feet lifting off before being turned completely upside down. Hit bottom a bunch of times. Crazy shit - the wildest body surfing I’ve ever done. Those beaches don’t compare to the Pacific for surfing though. If I were you I’d forget the surfing and keep boating and fishing the Gulf
People do not heed the flag warnings. The lifeguards are worn out this time of year from saving tourists who won't stay out of the water even though they are warned. Without the lifeguards, there would be many more deaths. When I see the Gulf choppy/rough with rip tides, all I see is drowning water. I've lived in Pensacola for all of my soon to be 70 years. I won't put my toes in the Gulf when it's bad like that. I've been in knee deep water before only to have the sand break away from beneath my feet. I love the Gulf, but it can kill anyone who doesn't give the water its due respect.
