Posted on 07/25/2009 10:07:40 AM PDT by RaceBannon
I was by Paddys at Misquamicut Beach, Rhode Island, it USED to be NON-state beach, no lifeguards
anyways, I was 50 to 60 yards offshore, bobbing in the water, I am 6'4" so I need deep water to float
30 yards inland, 10 to 15 yards from the waterline, there was a sandbar, the waves were breaking over the sandbar, kicking up sand, making the water brownish
lifeguard came over, blew his whistle for 2 or 3 minutes, I didn't know it was for me, I ignored it
Some guy swam out to me, called me, I went in to listen, guard told me I was risking my life by swimming in a riptide!
The language that followed was unfathomable, I used to bodysurf waves as high as telephone poles in Hawaii and this idiot was telling me I was in danger and that since I ignored his whistle I had to leave.
I pointed out how it was a sandbar, that he saw me stand up and the water level was at my waist where he said was a riptide and that he was a fool and needed to be replaced if he was so unaware of water conditions
He told people that he KNEW where a riptide was from the brown water!
IT was a SANDBAR, and the waves were breaking over the sandbar!
And I was 30 yards out deeper than that, WAY beyond the breakers in green water, just bobbing in the water! High tide was 1 hour away! I was NO WAY being washed out to sea!
There was ZERO water being taken out from any swirl or passage to grab anyone
the moron was a BOZO!!!
Liberals will save you. Even if you do not want them to.
The State knows best.
Listen and obey.
Don’t they usually post signs at the places where you can and can’t swim on the public beaches?
Seriously, wait until the know-nothings have police power to enforce arbitrary health rules “for your own good, and the good of society”.
Know-nothings. Sounds like the name of a great political party.
First rule: Always calmly ask for their name.
cudda been worsted...it could be 2014, your in your 80’s, and a government provided “bus ride” brought you to a swimming hole in south Florida, actually a canal, and they rubbed meat sauce on your for sun block
Ironic that the state would invest in lifeguards when 0’s healthcare wants to euthanize.
Someone got a whistle and thought they were important.
Along the Panhandle red flag conditions and unguarded beaches are normal. Swim at your own risk.
Last Memorial Day in Florida I participated in a rescue of some tourists from Jersey who got caught in rip tide. They struggled, fatigues and we made a human chain to retrieve them, then carried them onto the beach.
Your story explains why these bozos didn’t know how to handle themselves in relatively minor rip conditions.
Too bad you’re not Skip Gates. Then you could claim profiling by the lifeguard and President Obama could comment on the incident.
Ever thought about teaching at Harvard?
Tough call: Riptides (or “Rips”, as we call them DownUnder) are a source of major headaches for Surf Lifesaving as they can cause swimmers some considerable grief, carrying them out past the breakers, and not a few swimmers get into trouble and drown.
Which is why they say “always swim between the flags.”
Your Surf Lifesaver obviously thought you were near a particularly strong Rip, as they can take up sand from the bottom and look muddy. If so, he was acting out of an abundance of caution for your safety, even tho’ he might have been wrong and mistaking the sandbar for a Rip.
(then again, he might have been right.)
If it were me, I’d cut him some slack.
> There was ZERO water being taken out from any swirl or passage to grab anyone
You know that’s not right ay. If water is coming in, then an equal amount of water is going out. Where there are waves, there will also be Rips. That’s just physics.
Like I said, best to cut the Surf Lifesaver some slack. Particularly if he’s been doing it for 20 years.
You should have shown him your ID and told him who you are......
In defense of the lifeguard, he didn’t know your particular history from that of people from inland areas spending a day on the beach who may not no how to swim, are inexperienced swimmers, good swimmers but inexperienced with ocean swimming or, inebriated.
“If it were me, I’d cut him some slack.”
I somewhat agree with this sentiment. As the person who would have to retrieve your dead body, he was within his rights to warn you off.
On the other hand, it was an over-reaction to kick you out because he had trouble getting your attention.
LOL! ...and I need a high bridge when I'm floating down the river on my back.
Like Henry Gates did?
Haha, good one! :)
Thank you! I'm here thru Sunday.
So when is your beheading?
Did you have to present your papers to zee Beach Nazi?
Sometimes when stupid people try to talk to me I start talking nonsense or pretend I have tourette’s.
I think you've got a case!
Hey, if you weren’t doing anything wrong, you would have had nothing to worry about.
Wind, Waves and Weather, (the three Wubyas) effected the beach and they changed daily. Where a hole in the bar or high and low tide times plus weather conditions created swimming hazards we put out flags where swimming was not allowed.
New customers (beachophiles) would come and ask aboout the flags and we'd brief them about safe swimmin.
One year I had two pulls. I went solo and pulled out a 13 year old girl who wanted to hug a lifeguard and the other occurred when a nasty set of waves carried a customer into a stretch of beach that was flagged off. My bench buddy and I pulled him out and he apologized for not paying attention to the flags. He had been playing beachball catch with his son and had run into the water to retrieve the ball and a set of waves knocked him off his feet and off he went, heading towards France! He sent a thank you at lunch time when his son brought us a couple off Philly Cheese Steak subs! Yummie!
Since it’s the lifeguard who has to come out and risk his life for you if you’re wrong, I think his decision deserves a little more respect.
Doesn’t mean the lifeguard is always right. But A swimmer doesn’t have the same vantage point as a lifeguard, nor does he have the info constantly being passed to the lifeguards from other beach and weather patrols.
At our beach, all the time the lifeguards are standing up on the stands and watching for rip tides. They will whistle people to one side or the other or to come in.
When the lifeguard whistles, it’s like a cop behind you putting on his lights or siren. You’re supposed to stop what you’re doing and try to see if he is whistling you or someone else. Then do what he says. Big deal: you disagree with him on the risk of riptide. It’s a big beach and he’s got a lot of people to keep track of. Just move.
If you were on “my” beach, and it was obvious the lifeguard was whistling you, you could have even gotten a ticket for not coming in. Yeah, that gets sticky. We have surfers who won’t stay away from a restricted area, for example. If it gets bad enough, the lifeguards call the beach patrol and they will issue a ticket if appropriate (in their judgment).
If you don’t want to be under the lifeguard’s jurisdiction, don’t swim at that beach.
You gotta be kidding.
The cops just might issue a ticket to the swimmer for intentionally ignoring the lifeguard, to the point that the LG had to have someone swim out to him.
Agreed. Especially since it’s the LG who has to go out after the swimmer if the swimmer is wrong about the riptide and gets in trouble.
Right again.
Plus, as I also said upthread, the LGs stand up on the stands to assess riptides and have a completely different vantage point than the swimmer himself.
If a swimmer could “see” a riptide, and thus avoid it, a lot fewer people would be drowned in them.
You skipped over the part about the “unfathomable language.” I suspect it was more than simply ignoring the whistle.
Although, as I’ve said, we occasionally see surfers and swimmers ticketed by the police at our beach if they don’t respond to the whistle and come in when told to. We do have a restricted area (military) nearby, which must be avoided.
Can you spell that out for us? LOL
So you ignore a lifeguard blowing his whistle, then berate him with “unfathomable” language when he finally gets your attention, and you’re surprised you got thrown out? No wonder everyone’s comparing you to the good Professor Gates. Shouting “do you know who I am” is never as charming as you’d think.
ML/NJ
I'm guessing the "unfathomable language" had something to do with his getting kicked out.
you werent there
he should have cut me the slack
I was fine
far from what he called a rip tide and was just a sand bar
and not in any danger
enjoying myself
You have to live here to know this
As for the Harvard references, none of you were there. Sheesh, every veteran I told this story to had a good laugh with me, most of you on here are more like Obama than the Cambridge Cops!
You could be the best swimmer in the world and he doesn't know that. He's only doing his job. People die in those every year.
Be careful the rip currents can have an undertow
Settle down, mate...
> you werent there
Admittedly, I wasn’t.
> he should have cut me the slack
Probably you should have cut each other some slack. It sounds like things escalated quickly beyond a point where things could resolve amicably.
> You have to live here to know this
Probably not. Beaches are beaches, whether you’re in Hawaii or Bondi or Piha... or even Misquamicut Beach. Water works the same way when it washes ashore, and some rips *do* kick up sand from the bottom — usually it’s the strongest rips that do. You know this!
He was only looking out for your wellbeing. I dunno about where you live, but here in NZ all Surf Lifesavers are unpaid volunteers.
Would your story have been different if you’d said “sorry mate, I didn’t hear you — I’ll move right away” and then moved someplace else? I bet it would have...
Cheers
*DieHard*
Brown water?
Maybe he is confusing a rip tide with red tide?
hose bureaucratic pukes shouldn't be allowed to “rescue” anyone unless requested by the person being rescued!
> hose bureaucratic pukes shouldn’t be allowed to “rescue” anyone unless requested by the person being rescued!
Your tune would quickly change if you were caught in a rip out at Piha beach. You’d be jolly glad to see the Surf Lifesavers then.
The Surf Lifesavers in New Zealand are all volunteers, not one of them could be described as “bureaucratic pukes”. I suspect the Surf Lifesavers you have in the United States would be similar to ours.
> Maybe he is confusing a rip tide with red tide?
Some of the stronger rips disturb the sea bottom and bring up sand, making the water look brown.
Back in the 60’s a guy probably around 75 with leather for skin, always swam out to the second sand bar. He was never bothered by anyone. He lived there and was revered by us kids as a no-fear kinda guy. This was at Panama City, FL. (of course there still isn’t any lifeguards down there)
YIKES......
LOL at your LOL :O)
If its brown you flush it down...
So how did he swim with those big, heavy shoes?
HEY- that is pretty good- - -almost 50 comments with Water and New England involved and TKennedy’s name hasn’t been mentioned.
There — I took care of that....
Mary Jo Kopeckni (1940-1969)thanks to teddy boy
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