Panama City Reporter

City of Panama City Beach issued the following announcement on September 3.

Beach Safety rescuer Anastasia Adams surveys the beaches Friday morning ahead of what is expected to be a busy holiday weekend. Adams, who has worked at the City for two summer seasons, recently completed the USLA PRWCO (United States Life Saving Association Personal Rescue Watercraft Operator) course.

Sometimes people wonder why double red flags are flying on the beach when the water "looks" so calm. Looks can be deceiving, and dangerous rip currents can be nearly unnoticed, especially after a storm or a hurricane like Ida.

During double red flags, the water is closed. Getting in the water on double red can result in a $500 fine. The Beach Safety division of Panama City Beach Fire Rescue has a set of Standard Operating Guidelines utilized for identifying water conditions. 

"There are many variables involved in beach conditions," said Beach Safety Director Wil Spivey. "In cases like Thursday where we do get questions about being double red, we have to look at the criteria."

Beach Flag Criteria

The City beaches remained at double red until noon Thursday based on these facts:

• 4-foot wave sets were still rolling through in the morning.
• Sandbars remained disorganized following big surf and surge from Hurricane Ida. Steep drop offs of the first sand bar existed and there were lots of new inshore holes.
• The outgoing tide all day was of almost a 2-foot drop.

"We are at single red for today (Friday) because there were two-foot waves this morning and I’m still nervous about new sandbar formations. We have already noticed some rip currents in the vicinity of the Russell-Fields City Pier.  Also, we already received a call for swimmer in distress first thing this morning. The swimmer was able to make it back on shore."

Beach Safety staff always tries to err on the side of caution while trying to stay ahead of worsening conditions and not open up immediately upon conditions calming, especially after big storm events. Spivey said lifeguards can get overwhelmed pretty quickly when rescue calls start coming in. 

"When we get really busy, it makes it very difficult to make rescues and change the City's 27 flags," he said. "And the beach flag system is designed to be used at guarded beaches where guards are present to educate beachgoers of the flag meanings and water conditions. The City of Panama City Beach has approximately one-fourth mile of guarded beach and over nine miles to rove and respond."

While staff and resources are limited, the Beach Safety crew does a good job of being proactive as they focus on education and prevention. Public contacts, media reports, and preventative activities were at an all time high this season. The City is acquiring a second jet ski in order to have one on both ends of the beach. Operators are certified as United States Life Saving Association Personal Rescue Watercraft Operators.

"The good news is that the water should continue to calm down over the weekend and we will have beautiful weather for the Labor Day weekend. What a great way to end the summer," Spivey said.

Communications Director Debbie Ingram Ward can be reached at (850) 233-5100, Ext. 2261.

Original source can be found here.