Riptide Dangers

Swim the Waters of Anna Maria Safely...

It seems ya can't simply enjoy life to the fullest without there being some kind of concern that results in restrictions to your right to risk.

By right to risk, I simply mean our right as human beings to make our own decisions to undertake activities that include a certain level of risk. When you think about it, just getting out of bed in the morning comes with some level of risk, but we are talking degrees of risk beyond what you would encounter during normal daily living.

Things like downhill skiing for example brings with it risks beyond normal daily activity, as does motorcycle racing, ski diving, parasailing and a whole host of other perfectly acceptable activities.

But of course there are limits. We are not permitted to barrel down the highway at warp speed because to do so puts others at risk. Well, apparently beach access on Anna Maria Island has succumbed to similar thinking.

I refer to another tale of the dangers associated with beaches recently published in the Herald Tribune. This time it concerns riptides, those unseen currents which can sweep bathers and swimmers off their feet and carry them to their death.

The article said, "Lifeguards have shut down sections of some beaches on Anna Maria Island so they can keep a closer eye on swimmers who brave the rough waters. Red warning flags, indicating unsafe conditions, are being flown on most public beaches."

"Even with those precautions, more than a dozen swimmers have required rescue on Coquina Beach in the past two weeks. Almost 50 rip-current rescues have taken place on Sarasota beaches in the last month."

Rip currents are formed when water builds up between a sandbar and the shore. The pressure builds until the water breaks through the sandbar, causing a powerful current (similar to a fast-moving river) that can pull swimmers under and then out into the Gulf where they cannot get to shore and can drown.

In May of last year, rip currents dragged three swimmers to their deaths on unguarded beaches on Longboat Key. We wouldn't want such an occurrance to take place on Anna Maria Island.

I guess the message is to pay attention to the warning signs, cause if you don't there is a good chance that our 'right' to use those areas will be taken away.