By Gillian Graham and David Harry

Staff Writers

Morgan Swinburne hasn’t seen anything quite like it in the 10 years she has stood guard at Old Orchard Beach.

More than 60 people have been assisted from the water by Old Orchard Beach lifeguards since July 9, a number lifeguards say is higher than in past years. Lifeguard Capt. Keith Willett said rip currents that pull swimmers quickly out to sea have increased and have kept 20 lifeguards busy at 12 posts along four miles of beach.

 Friday morning, lifeguards helped three children and two adults from the water after they were caught in a rip current near Temple Avenue in Ocean Park.

Swinburne, who stood in front of her lifeguard stand near the pier Friday afternoon watching boogie boarders bob in the water, said rip currents are “popping up everywhere,” pulling adults and children alike into deeper water.

“People aren’t expecting it,” she said. “They don’t quite know the power of the ocean.”

Willett said quite a few rip currents developed over the winter, when storms carried away sand and re-formed the beach. Saco Parks and Recreation Director Joe Hirsch said more rip currents have been reported this year in the Bay View and Kinney Shores areas, where beach sand was washed away in winter storms. Usually sand re-forms the beach in the spring, but that did not happen this year, he said.

Charles Tilburg, a physical oceanographer and assistant professor at the University of New England, describes rip currents as very strong currents that pull away from the shore in areas where the beach changes.

“It’s more likely to happen in a place where there’s an indentation in the bottom,” he said.

Tilburg said currents are formed when waves stack up along the beach and rush back out at average speeds of 1 or 2 feet per second. Rip currents can move up to 8 feet per second and generally dissipate a quarter- to half-mile from shore, he said.

“They don’t stay strong for that long,” Tilburg said.

Tilburg said rip currents can be “extremely dangerous” because of their strength. Swimmers caught in a rip current quickly become exhausted and go under the water. He said most fatalities related to rip currents happen when swimmers panic.

“The first thing is don’t panic. As soon as you panic, you have a tendency to take in water or not think about what you’re doing,” Willett said.

Swimmers who are caught in a rip current should not fight the current, but swim parallel to the shore. Tilburg said rip currents are relatively narrow and the easiest way to break free is to swim out of it. Willett said swimmers also can let the current take and release them before swimming back to shore.

Tilburg said he did not follow that advice as a teenager when he was caught in a rip current in Florida. He swam hard, exhausting his energy before being pushed out of the edge of the current.

“It was terrifying,” he said. “I was just very lucky.”

Tilburg says there are ways to protect against rip currents even before getting in the water. The water near rip currents often is darker because of sediment and foam and debris on top of the water can indicate a current, he said.

“You’ll almost see white water swirl and see a tunnel going out to the ocean,” Swinburne said.

Willett said he encourages swimmers to pay attention to warnings – Old Orchard currently flies yellow caution flags – and ask lifeguards where it is safe to swim.

“We’ll let you know where the safer place to swim is,” Swinburne said. “We tell people to be careful and be aware.”

In Saco, the five lifeguards who guard two short sections of beach are taking a proactive approach with swimmers, Hirsch said. The city is preparing to post bright red rip tide caution signs to make people aware of the danger.

“We want to get their attention,” Hirsch said.

More experienced lifeguards are at Kinney Shores, where rip currents have been stronger. Those lifeguards will talk to people on the beach to warn them about the rip currents and encourage them to stay out of the water, Hirsch said.

While not on the scale of rescues in Old Orchard Beach, lifeguards at Scarborough Beach State Park also have had a busy summer, Park Manager Greg Wilfert said.

Wilfert, who has patrolled the beach for 39 years, said town-owned Higgins Beach and the state park are known for high surf, but the cumulative experience of his crew of lifeguards and local familiarity with the beach help keep swimmers safe.

“You can tell by the way (swimmers) are acting,” Wilfert said. “These guys can smell it.”

Lifeguard Kaycee Stevens, a Scarborough resident, said he had helped two young swimmers during his shift last Thursday. Beach conditions were considered “yellow” in the color scale, signifying moderate surf and strong rip currents requiring caution. Stevens said swimmers who find themselves in trouble often do not realize how tired they are from fighting currents.

Stevens said he watches swimmers in water beyond the break of the waves because they may be most susceptible to being pulled far from shore.

“They run out of energy real quick and don’t realize they are in trouble,” Stevens said.

Wilfert said rip currents had been exacerbated by the storms that move sand from the beach and create a more sudden drop-off just offshore. He said certain beach areas of the 1,500 feet of beach he supervises already are prone to the rapid outward flow of water.

“In a matter of seconds, you can be out 100 yards,” Wilfert said of the more extreme conditions.

Beach conditions are graded from green at the safest to red, where swimming is prohibited. Wilfert said surf last Thursday was higher than anticipated.

Stevens said he looks for churning water that is a different color as it retreats from the beach to indicate rip currents might be at work.

The three Scarborough-owned beaches – Higgins, Pine Point and Ferry, do not have lifeguards, but Fire Chief Michael Thurlow said last week emergency crews had not been called to any local rescues but had assisted Old Orchard Beach rescuers three times.

Sitting in a wooden tower about four feet above the sand, Cole Theriault said he had probably assisted 20 to 30 swimmers over the eight years he has been on duty.

Along with checking the beach conditions posted daily, Theriault said swimmers should ask lifeguards about the surf before going into the water.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.