Lifeguards were on constant lookout for any trouble brewing in the water below.
“We stand out in front of our towers. We watch carefully. And we try to be preventative,” said Lt. Karen Burkett of the Manatee County Marine Rescue.
Watchful eyes are certainly needed on a busy holiday like this.
“The conditions that make it extreme on the beach is the wind, the waves, the rip currents and the lateral currents, which are all due to the tropical storm Alberto that just passed by,” she said.
Burkett showed News Channel 8 how a rip forms from her perch above the hundreds of beachgoers.
“A little troft has formed here, a little eddy in the sand because all the water being pushed on the shore is trying to escape,” Burkett said.
Four people were rescued from rips on Sunday. Two had to be pulled from the water Monday when they crashed against some rocks.
Red flags whipped in the wind up and down Coquina Beach, a warning to people of the high hazard in the water.
“I just walk in to my knees because they say it’s too dangerous to go further,” said Barbara Figiel, visiting Florida from Germany.
But, those who ventured out were under constant watch by the lifeguards stationed all along the beach.
