JACKSONVILLE BEACH — JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Though Hurricane Florence is nowhere near the First Coast, it is expected to bring an increase in rip currents at local beaches. Though surfers may be excited about the swells, officials are reminding folks to be careful.
"Dude, I pulled in, got barreled, it spit me out, it was gnarly dude," said 10-year-old Simon Durham.
Durham was caught in a rip current before Sunday’s contest.
"I started screaming thinking I was going to die but I don't know, man," Durham said.
Luckily, Durham is okay and kept on surfing. Jacksonville Beach natives like 14-year-old Christian Bunting have surfed on these shores for years.
He said he's experienced rip currents, but said they are stronger because of Florence.
"Usually the rip currents here aren't that bad because our sandbars aren't like solid," Bunting said. "So it doesn't create channels here for the water to go through. And it's not like the Pacific Ocean where the waves are really powerful, so it's not that bad here."
Whether you're looking to climb the leaderboard in a surf contest or just going for a swim, Bunting has some important advice.
“If you get caught in the rip current, just swim down the beach and you'll be fine. Stay calm," Bunting said.
Don't try to fight a rip current because it will tire you out. Swim parallel to the beach until you don't feel the water pulling you out to sea anymore.
