Lifeguards at Point Lookout demonstrate how quickly swimmers can be swept away by rip current

A lifeguard deliberately got pulled out to sea by a rip current Wednesday at Point Lookout, demonstrating just how fast swimmers can be thrown off their feet.

Town of Hempstead officials held the safety demonstration as rip current season enters its peak period to remind people of the dangers. One lifeguard acted as the victim while other lifeguards executed the rescue.

Being pulled into a rip current feels like you are "on a treadmill, like you are getting swept off your feet," said Mike Romano, the Town of Hempstead's chief ocean lifeguard.

"Lifeguards are trained to identify rip currents," Romano said at the Lido Beach lifeguard station. "We can spot them. We can see them develop."

Rip currents are strong, narrow streams of water that move fast and flow straight away from the beach out into deeper water. They can occur at any beach that has break waves, which are waves that make that classic crescent shape and come down.

It does not matter how strong of a swimmer you are; anybody can be caught in a rip current. This past weekend a family of five was swept out to sea and had to be rescued by lifeguards at a Suffolk County beach.

"We like to have an announcement now to encourage people to listen to our safety tips," Town Supervisor John Ferretti told Newsday at the beach. "At the same time, remind them that we have some of the best lifeguards in all the country. If there is ever an emergency, we are here to protect them."

If someone is caught in a rip current, a lifeguard should be alerted right away, and bystanders should not jump in the water to help because people have drowned trying to save others. A stuck swimmer should remain calm and swim parallel to the shore. Once out of the rip current, a person should swim at an angle away from the current and toward the shore.

"Make sure there is always a lifeguard on duty when you swim, and only swim when the beaches are open," Ferretti said.

Additional information about rip currents is available at beach toll booths for the rest of the summer and at hempsteadny.gov.