Life's a Beach

Tourist season is well upon us and we have already sent home 4 of our guests in a state that they never expected on this go-round.

We have some of the prettiest beaches in the country and in my opinion some of the most dangerous waters to go along with that sugary looking sand. Each year we lose many people to the ocean and it's rip tides. The locals around here know that the water isn't always as nice as it looks and somehow manage to keep away from it when told. The tourists however are here mainly for the beach and will try to enter into the ocean no matter what the reports say or what the weather is. Because of this, unsuspecting swimmers have gotten themselves caught up in currents that have literally worn them down to the point of drowning. The local weather station almost begs people to stay out of certain areas as well as the entire ocean at times yet at any given time you can see someone if not several someones in the water no matter what the warnings are and each year I end up sending people home from their vacations in caskets.

With the popularity of our seashore and the fact that tourism is a mainstay for many people of this community I could never understand why the town never installed Lifeguard stations on our beaches. Sure, there are signs posted that read "Swim at your own risk" strategically located on beach accesses but how many unnecessary deaths is it going to take before a more stringent defense is taken? Seriously, what would it cost to have a few lifeguards on the beach? Isn't that cost worth just one life saved? I guess that decision is up to the city council and things may change someday if it affects them directly but until the time that there is better safety on our shores I guess unknowing people will continue to die.