Lifeguards were busy on East Hampton beaches in the last week, with rip currents and marine life matching up with heavy crowds.
“We made 16 saves between Aug. 7 and Aug. 14,” said Drew Smith, the head lifeguard for East Hampton Village. “We’ve had an unusually busy summer.”
One problematic rip current at Main Beach played a role in several victims requiring aid from lifeguards. “People will see us pull someone out of this rip and jump right into it. You can’t make it up. That was the only one that the floodgates opened up a bit for us,” said Mr. Smith.
He said day-tripping beachgoers are on the rise because of the availability of more daily beach passes. “They’re $50 a day and you can now get them seven days a week. It used to be after 1 o’clock only and no weekends. The flexibility gives somebody another opportunity to come to the beach.”
Marcos Baladron, the village administrator, said the village has sold 2,161 day passes since May 15 this year, up from 1,309 in the same period in 2022. On the other hand, he said, sales of half-season passes were down.
On Sunday and Monday mornings village beaches were closed temporarily because sharks were observed close to shore. “In conjunction with drones and binoculars we can tell when they clear away from the swim area. After the bite in Rockaway last week, we’re being extra attentive for sharks, and erring on the side of caution,” said Mr. Smith.
“We get the question, ‘Are there any sharks out there?’ And I say, ‘Are you asking me are there any sharks in the ocean?’ ” said Jeff Thompson, the town’s Amagansett district chief lifeguard. “But we haven’t seen any kind of predation that’s threatening to people. They’re hundreds of yards away, relegated to the bait balls. They’re not leaving the bait.”
Mr. Thompson said that town lifeguards have made about 100 saves for the season, “That’s about where we typically are at this point. The vast majority are rip-current-related. The bays have been quieter than in years past.”
A rip off the jetty at Ditch Plain in Montauk resulted in a couple of saves, which highlighted the importance of the Jet Ski as a tool for the lifeguards. “They make it safer for the guards to bring people back in through the surf. The guards put the victim swimmer on a rescue sled that trails the ski and brings them right onto the beach.”
He said there is one Jet Ski at Atlantic Avenue, one at South Edison in Montauk, and one in back of each of the chief trucks, which can be deployed rapidly wherever needed.
