New Jersey beach safety officials warn waters still too dangerous despite warm weather
Without lifeguards on duty, any emergency in the water would require a response from local rescue crews, a delay that could cost precious minutes in a life-threatening situation.
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With sunny skies and warm temperatures finally giving New Jerseyans a reason to head down the shore, beach safety officials are reminding visitors that, despite the summer-like conditions, the ocean remains dangerous this early in the season.
"Most towns don't put lifeguards on until next weekend," said Joe Bongiovanni, Asbury Park's beach safety supervisor. "And even then, it's probably only going to be weekends until sometime around the middle of June. That's when everybody opens up full-time. So, it's always smart to remember that even though it feels like summer, it's not summer yet."
Without lifeguards on duty, any emergency in the water would require a response from local rescue crews, a delay that could cost precious minutes in a life-threatening situation.
Officials say another hidden danger is the ocean temperature, which remains far colder than the air.
"It's still only about 50 degrees," Bongiovanni said. "At that temperature, you can become hypothermic very quickly. The water takes the heat out of your body 25 times faster than the air does. It's a matter of minutes before you start to become hypothermic. Your core body temperature starts to drop. Your muscles don't work as well anymore. And like I said, you're in a real dangerous situation. Even if you are a swimmer, you may not be able to make your muscles function so that you can't swim to shore."
And even if you are staying out of the water, there are still precautions to take after a seemingly never-ending winter.
"Your first time in the sun, we got to remember, again, it's different," said Bongiovanni, "You got to watch out about getting yourself a good sunburn, getting yourself dehydrated, that type of stuff. Because you're not used to being out in the sun all day."
