With 5 dead off county’s coast, why are rip currents, heavy surf so dangerous right now?

Five people have died in the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Palm Beach County’s coast since Nov. 1.

The two most recent: A 15-year-old boy and a 55-year-old man, one in Boynton Beach and one in Palm Beach, who both died Nov. 10.

And while the ocean consistently poses a danger to swimmers, experts and first responders say that Palm Beach County beaches in the past two weeks have experienced the perfect mix to create an especially lethal situation: dangerous rip currents and high surf.

“It is tragic, and it’s a hidden danger,” said Chief Scott McClure of the Ocean Ridge Police Department, which responded to a drowning death Nov. 6, a day when forecasters said rip currents were strong and seas were at 4 to 6 feet.

Strong winds from the east combined with the powerful south-to-north flow of the offshore Gulf Stream current help to create the shoreline rip currents and rough seas that can prove so deadly, said Ana Torres-Vazquez, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami.

For the past few weeks, areas of high and low pressure have interacted near the Florida peninsula to create very breezy conditions, she said.

“Palm Beach in particular tends to get more of those dangerous interactions and that, combined with high surf, creates a very, very dangerous combination,” Torres-Vazquez said.

Because Palm Beach County is farther north on the peninsula, it tends to see stronger winds than Broward and Miami-Dade counties, she said. The Gulf Stream current also flows a little bit closer to the shore in Palm Beach County than it does farther south, Torres-Vazquez said.

“It’s a bad setup geographically, overall,” she added.

The high risk for dangerous rip currents will continue through at least 7 p.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service said Friday morning.

More: Two drown Sunday, bringing number of drowning deaths in county to 5 this month

Five deaths in two weeks

The first person to drown in Palm Beach County this month was a 64-year-old man who died at a Singer Island beach Nov. 2, the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed.

The next was a 34-year-old Lake Worth Beach man. He died after being caught in rough surf and strong currents at a portion of unguarded beach near the Boynton Beach Inlet on Nov. 3, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office statement from the time.

The Nov. 6 incident in Ocean Ridge happened when a 50-year-old Canadian man visiting the area with his wife and another couple became trapped in a rip current, according to an Ocean Ridge Police report.

The man and his friend went to swim in the ocean while their wives stayed at a nearby pool, McClure said. The seas were very rough, and while the man’s friend was able to get out of the water, the 50-year-old man could not, he said.

When caught in a rip current, it’s natural to begin to panic, McClure said. “If you do, that’s what happens: It’ll drag you down and away from where you want to go,” he said.

When Ocean Ridge Sgt. Gary Roy arrived at the scene, the man was estimated to be between 100 and 150 yards away from shore, the report said. Roy went to his car to get a Coast Guard-approved life preserver and flotation device, call more agencies for help and place his gun and body camera in his car so he could try to save the man, the report said.

But when Roy returned to the beach, the man was already on the shore and unresponsive. First responders tried to revive the man using CPR, but the man died, the report said.

The next person to die was a 15-year-old boy, who went swimming early the morning of Nov. 10 with his sibling and mother at Gulfstream Park, which sits in a small unincorporated part of Palm Beach County between Briny Breezes, Boynton Beach and Gulf Stream, the Boynton Beach Police Department said in a statement at the time.

All three became caught in a strong current, police said, and help was called, with first responders arriving just after 7:20 a.m., according to Boynton Beach Police and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. When Boynton Beach Fire Rescue got to the beach, one child was saved from the water, and a Fire Rescue captain and firefighter went into the churning ocean to help a Gulf Stream Police officer rescue the mother, Boynton police said.

The Fire Rescue captain was severely injured during the rescue but was stable as of Sunday night, Boynton Beach police said. No details were provided about the nature of his injuries.

The 15-year-old could not immediately be found. After hours of searching by the sheriff’s office, the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife officers, the boy was found and brought to shore just after noon, deputies said. He could not be revived and was declared dead at 12:31 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.

That same morning, a 55-year-old man who was visiting the Tideline Palm Beach Ocean Resort in Palm Beach with his fiancé died in the ocean, Palm Beach Police said. Police did not release the man’s name, and a report about the incident said he was not a Palm Beach resident.

The man decided to go swimming by himself while his fiancé stayed on a lounge chair about 150 feet away, police said. The woman was gone for a few minutes when she heard yelling and then saw two men dive into the water and bring her fiancé back to shore, the report said.

Someone at the Four Seasons Hotel — which is just north of the Tideline on South Ocean Boulevard — called 911 to report that the man needed help, and a Palm Beach Police officer who arrived at the scene about 10:10 a.m. found that another officer and Palm Beach Fire Rescue crews were already trying to revive the man, the report said. They were not successful, the report added.

Investigators did not say what caused the man to drown. The Tideline’s beach is unguarded, and the Four Seasons next door had red flags flying to warn of unsafe swimming conditions, police said.

The Tideline is owned by Palm Beach resident and developer Jeff Greene. The resort reopened this year after completing a $20 million renovation.

“Out of respect for the individual and their loved ones, we are unable to comment on the specifics of this devastating incident, and ask that everyone show compassion and respect their privacy at this time,” the Tideline said in a statement emailed to the Daily News on Tuesday. “Our heartfelt condolences are with everyone affected by this loss and we remain committed to the safety and well-being of our guests.”

What is a rip current?

Rip currents are powerful, concentrated channels of water flowing quickly away from shore, most often found at low spots or breaks in the sandbar and near structures such as jetties and piers.

How do rip currents work?

Rip currents form when incoming waves create an underwater sandbar. The waves push more water between the sandbar and the shore until it collapses and the water rushes back to the sea through a narrow gap, where it starts to spread out.

What should you do if you’re caught in a rip current?

Most ocean drowning deaths are caused by rip currents, said Anna Stewart, manager of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County.

People who are caught in a rip current should turn over, float and yell for help, she said. They can let the rip current carry them until it stops, and then swim parallel to the shore and back in, she added.

“To the naked eye, it can be very difficult to recognize what a rip current looks like,” Stewart said.

That is why, she noted, it’s so important to swim at a beach where a lifeguard is present: From their elevated position, they can spot the telltale signs of a rip current.

For those on the shore, Torres-Vazquez said a rip current can be spotted by looking at where the water breaks onshore for a long line of white surf. “If you see any breaks in that white foam as it’s coming through, an area where it looks calmer, that area is where the rip current is,” Torres-Vazquez said.

McClure also stressed that people should only go to beaches where there is a lifeguard and they put out warning flags. “People see the water, and there’s a natural attraction to go in it,” he said. “They have to be cautious.”

The flag system used by lifeguards to notify beachgoers of ocean conditions is simple to understand, Stewart said. Green means the water is safe, yellow means swimmers should use caution and red flags mean the water is not safe. Purple flags indicate that dangerous marine life, including sea lice, jellyfish or sharks, may be present, she said.

“If you go to a beach without a lifeguard, you have no idea what the conditions are of the water,” Stewart said.

The town of Palm Beach has posted conditions boards at all public beaches that provide updated information each day and have an explanation of the flag system, said Palm Beach Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Joe Sekula.

“We have been flying a red flag on our beaches for the past couple weeks due to the strong winds creating 4 to 6 foot waves and dangerous currents,” he said.

People also should not swim alone, and they should also check beach conditions — whether online or over the phone — before heading east, Stewart said. “We’re asking that visitors and residents alike do their due diligence by calling beforehand, to save them some time and recognize the hazards that exist in the ocean,” she said.

She emphasized the need for children to know how to swim, and for those who don’t know how to swim to wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets that fit properly. For more information about how to make sure a life jacket fits, go to pbc.gov/drowningprevention.

“You know, it’s Mother Nature,” she said. “It has its own mind, and we have no control over it. We can only control ourselves and our behavior.”

How do first responders train for ocean rescues?

In Palm Beach, Fire Rescue crews continually train on water rescue emergencies with the town’s Ocean Rescue lifeguards, Sekula said. That includes training on how to rescue victims, but also how to survive in those situations themselves, he said.

“We as a fire department are fortunate to not only have numerous lifeguards that are now working as firefighters, but also to be able to work closely and train with our beach lifeguards,” Sekula said.

While the town’s lifeguards and firefighters carry special equipment for water rescues, the process still poses a great danger, he said. “A complication commonly seen is non-trained rescuers going into the water not having any equipment, and becoming overwhelmed themselves and needing help as well,” Sekula said.

Current of any type can complicate water rescues, a Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spokesperson said.

Still, rip currents are unique because they flow from the shore through the surf and breaking waves, moving quickly toward the open sea, the spokesperson said. Rip currents are fast, and even the strongest swimmers can’t outpace them, he said.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue has several coastal stations, including Jupiter, Juno Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Manalapan and Lantana, the spokesperson said. Belle Glade’s Station 73 is also considered coastal because it is near Lake Okeechobee.

The firefighters at those stations love the ocean and have spent years around the water, the spokesperson said. “That is experience that cannot be taught in a classroom,” the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spokesperson said.

About 20 personnel at the coastal stations were or are still active lifeguards and they continue to train on tools and techniques for water rescues. Every Palm Beach County Fire Rescue recruit trains on water rescues in a pool and on the beach, and water rescue classes are offered throughout the year, the spokesperson said.

Even if a lifeguard or first responders are present, people need to be vigilant, Stewart said.

“They’re only there as an added layer of protection,” she said, adding, “You have to expect the unexpected and be prepared.”

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Rip currents, heavy surf create deadly conditions in Palm Beach County