Jacksonville beaches were a hotpot for Memorial Day, packed with visitors throughout the holiday weekend.
“It’s pretty crowded. I’m not surprised. Parking was tough, but I found a spot,” Marissa Laganas, a Jacksonville resident, said.
Crowds on the beach kept lifeguards busy. Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue reportedly responded to at least one rescue over the weekend. But calls for missing kids kept them busier.
“It is one of our most frequent calls. When the crowd is dense, it’s easy and fast for you to lose children,” JBOR Capt. Rob Emahiser said.
Lifeguards responded to five calls for missing children on Sunday and already had several before noon on Monday.
“It does take up resources. There can be other emergencies that are life-threatening that we’d rather have resources available for,” he explained.
Lifeguards recommend taking a picture of your child that day, making a note of what beach access point you are near, and have your child remember your phone number in case they do go missing.
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The ocean also presents dangers. There was a yellow flag warning over the Memorial Day weekend which means a moderate rip current risk.
“It can be deceptive, but there’s still enough movement and current that someone out floating and relaxing can find themself farther from shore than you planned on,” Capt. Emahiser said.
Ocean Rescue is fully staffed on holidays with lifeguards at each of the 13 stations up and down Jax Beach. JBOR recommends swimming near a lifeguard.
Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day make up the three busiest holidays for lifeguards at the beach.
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