Have done exactly the same, for the same reasons, more than once.
Death today at Seagrove Beach
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Have done exactly the same, for the same reasons, more than once.
Our place is on the far west end of PCB and since there are so many public accesses, the flags are always easy to see and the beach patrol PA alert system has been in full swing. However, the problem I've noticed SEVERAL times this summer is parents of teenagers letting their kids flaunt a)the flags and b)the beach patrol.
For example, I recently saw some teenagers out in double red flags, with their parents watching from the shore. The beach patrol came by, and first tried to whistle them in. When that didn't work, he had to get out of the truck, go down to the water's edge and use some strong language to get them in. He then had a talk with the parents and explained about the law and the deaths that had happened THAT VERY DAY. As soon as he drove off, the kids were right back in without a word from the parents.
What the #$%%^ do people think? That encounter was so wrong on so many levels.....
I have even heard people say that if they have paid their money for a week, they are going in the water no matter what. As if their life or their child's life or a rescuer's life is worth less than what they paid for their vacation.
For example, I recently saw some teenagers out in double red flags, with their parents watching from the shore. The beach patrol came by, and first tried to whistle them in. When that didn't work, he had to get out of the truck, go down to the water's edge and use some strong language to get them in. He then had a talk with the parents and explained about the law and the deaths that had happened THAT VERY DAY. As soon as he drove off, the kids were right back in without a word from the parents.
What the #$%%^ do people think? That encounter was so wrong on so many levels.....
I have even heard people say that if they have paid their money for a week, they are going in the water no matter what. As if their life or their child's life or a rescuer's life is worth less than what they paid for their vacation.
Back in 2005 the Destin Log published something I wrote...
...seems to fit right in with what many of you are saying (This was before my eyes had been opened to the South Walton experience and before we bought a house in Miramar, so I hope the "Destin" reference is okay here.)
This was published in 7/20/2005
One can offer only so much advice
By C. Alan Nicholson Guest commentary
Save yourself the time, trouble and expense, Destin and Okaloosa residents. Don?t waste another ounce of energy pleading for public education about the potential dangers of the Gulf. They?ve been informed, warned and cajoled, repeatedly.
We have all heard it; some just will not listen.
These select individuals seem to consider themselves immune from the forces of nature and laws of man that apply to us mere mortals. These people cannot be reached despite your considerable efforts to save them from themselves.
I?ve been taking my family to Destin for 20 years. We love Destin. We love the beach. We want to speed every available moment there, but like most people, we realize that on some days the potential for injury or worse is just too great to justify the risk of playing in the surf.
Reasonable people probably did not need the ?double red? flags advising that the water was closed. The double red wasn?t intended for reasonable people really; it was for those too irresponsible to take proper care for themselves and their children. Perhaps the force of law would elicit compliance with what is just common sense to most of us.
Good idea in theory.
It isn?t working as well as had been hoped. In the two days after Tropical Storm Cindy blew through, the beaches flew the double red flags. Nevertheless, adults and an alarming number of young kids poured into the water. The beach patrol, which had diligently and commendably gone person to person on July 4 to hand out cards explaining the significance of the flags, spent the two days post-Cindy vainly trying to enforce the law that they had just explained person-to-person and face-to-face.
At the stretch of beach where my family was, the patrol whistled at and cautioned the same violators over and over both days. As soon as the familiar red ATVs rolled on, the annoyed violators returned to the waves in their seeming relentless zeal to become a statistic.
Destin/Okaloosa you?ve tried. It?s a shame that the next preventable drowning will prompt calls for you to do more to ?educate the public.? It won?t be your fault, but it?s a lot easier to call for more ?public education? than it is to criticize the ?victim? or the grieving parents of the ?victim? upon whom the responsibility properly rests.
P.S. I realize that this issue pales in comparison to the concerns you have as I write this on Saturday afternoon, July 9.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you face the uncertainty of Dennis. We left our vacation a day early to return the relative safety of Atlanta, but we are keenly aware of what the next 24 hours may hold for you, and we wish you the very best possible outcome.
C. Alan Nicholson is a resident of Marietta, Ga.
...seems to fit right in with what many of you are saying (This was before my eyes had been opened to the South Walton experience and before we bought a house in Miramar, so I hope the "Destin" reference is okay here.)
This was published in 7/20/2005
One can offer only so much advice
By C. Alan Nicholson Guest commentary
Save yourself the time, trouble and expense, Destin and Okaloosa residents. Don?t waste another ounce of energy pleading for public education about the potential dangers of the Gulf. They?ve been informed, warned and cajoled, repeatedly.
We have all heard it; some just will not listen.
These select individuals seem to consider themselves immune from the forces of nature and laws of man that apply to us mere mortals. These people cannot be reached despite your considerable efforts to save them from themselves.
I?ve been taking my family to Destin for 20 years. We love Destin. We love the beach. We want to speed every available moment there, but like most people, we realize that on some days the potential for injury or worse is just too great to justify the risk of playing in the surf.
Reasonable people probably did not need the ?double red? flags advising that the water was closed. The double red wasn?t intended for reasonable people really; it was for those too irresponsible to take proper care for themselves and their children. Perhaps the force of law would elicit compliance with what is just common sense to most of us.
Good idea in theory.
It isn?t working as well as had been hoped. In the two days after Tropical Storm Cindy blew through, the beaches flew the double red flags. Nevertheless, adults and an alarming number of young kids poured into the water. The beach patrol, which had diligently and commendably gone person to person on July 4 to hand out cards explaining the significance of the flags, spent the two days post-Cindy vainly trying to enforce the law that they had just explained person-to-person and face-to-face.
At the stretch of beach where my family was, the patrol whistled at and cautioned the same violators over and over both days. As soon as the familiar red ATVs rolled on, the annoyed violators returned to the waves in their seeming relentless zeal to become a statistic.
Destin/Okaloosa you?ve tried. It?s a shame that the next preventable drowning will prompt calls for you to do more to ?educate the public.? It won?t be your fault, but it?s a lot easier to call for more ?public education? than it is to criticize the ?victim? or the grieving parents of the ?victim? upon whom the responsibility properly rests.
P.S. I realize that this issue pales in comparison to the concerns you have as I write this on Saturday afternoon, July 9.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you face the uncertainty of Dennis. We left our vacation a day early to return the relative safety of Atlanta, but we are keenly aware of what the next 24 hours may hold for you, and we wish you the very best possible outcome.
C. Alan Nicholson is a resident of Marietta, Ga.
Could you see the flags if you were 80? This photo is taken from the area where the victim was sitting. These are the closest flags.
At the popular Ramsgate walkover, which serves a whole lot of rentals, including the ever-popular Summers Edge, it is nearly impossible to see a flag to either the east or west. Given the number of beachgoers, that walkover needs its own flag. It is maybe 200 yards east of the site of BR's photo.
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Liked your article. I am shocked how some go in the water with dangerous water conditions. I grew up here before flags. Some days, you just knew not to go in. How anyone would go in or let their children go in with double red flags flying is beyond reason. Especially with all the coastal dune lakes that have outfalls that could serve as a safe alternative to a natural beach swimming experience until the waves and tides calmed down. I would also like to say I'm proud of you for now knowing the difference between SoWal and Destin.
Revisiting this thread (and not reading ALL the comments)...you can stop (IMHO) at Smiling
JOe 's statement...(ref..8/05/08...0803 hours)....and, I quote..."...you cannot fix stupid..."
and...with his permission...I'm gonna use that, I'm sure, in a sentence tomorrow....
Love y'all,
bye
NK
JOe 's statement...(ref..8/05/08...0803 hours)....and, I quote..."...you cannot fix stupid..."
and...with his permission...I'm gonna use that, I'm sure, in a sentence tomorrow....
Love y'all,
bye
NK
Out of curiosity, have the drownings usually been adult men? It seems so to me. So, it could be that men go in to save people who are in the water despite the red flags or that men are more likely to feel as though they can resist the pull of rip tides because of their size. If there is a pattern that it's mostly adult men who have been drowning, then they may need special focus in efforts to prevent people from going into the ocean on red flag days. For example, let them know that weight/gender/strength does not prevent drownings from rip tide. Let them know the statistics of the gender/ages of the people who drown to dispel any myths that strong men may not drown.
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