Lifeguards patrol the beach trying to prevent disaster

WALTON COUNTY, FL - A weekend of clouds, rain and very little sunshine could not keep people off the beach.
   
"Every time the sun has come out, so have the people," Gary Wise, director of Walton County Beach Safety, said.
   
The weather and the crowds worked in the favor of lifeguards who spent more of the weekend taking preventative action than responding to rescue calls. People in a position of eminent danger were called back onto the beach and directed to a safe location, Wise said.
   
"When we have big crowds and big surf, the most important thing we can do is be preventative," Okaloosa County Beach Safety Division Chief Tracey Vause said.
   
For his crew, that meant patrolling the beaches on foot and ATVs. The division's goal was to make contact with every person on the beach this weekend.
   
Swimmers also kept Destin Beach Safety patrol busy Sunday afternoon. The patrol took thousands of preventative actions, several assists and made one rescue.
   
"We're very fortunate surf and riptides have not been too dangerous," Wise said.
   
Joe D'Agostino, chief of the Destin Fire Control District's beach safety division, said the compliant crowd made his job easier and hopes the Memorial Day crowd does the same.
   
"Heed to the advice of beach patrol," he said. "We were very busy today but ever ybody listened. Folks did a great job."
   
Beach safety agencies advised people to swim near lifeguards, keep a close eye on children, avoid alcohol if planning to swim and obey the safety flag warning system.
   
The tide is expected to drop to 2 or 3 feet today, which means local beaches will likely fly yellow flags.
   
"But even so, yellow flag conditions still mean moderate rip currents are present," Wise said. "For people that are not used to open water, moderate rip currents can still be dangerous."
   
D'Agostino held out hope that the rest of the weekend would remain uneventful.
   
"It might just be a mellow day, a nice beach day," D'Agostino said.