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<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTOGETHER AND WHAT ELSE WE CAN EXPECT FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. JADE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. BROOKE. NOW AT 11, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS, WE\u2019VE BROUGHT YOU TWO MAJOR TWO STORIES INVOLVING MAJOR INCIDENTS ON SOUTH FLORIDA\u2019S WATERWAYS AND BEACHES. REPORTER RACHEL WILLIAMS SPOKE TO FIRE RESCUE OFFICIALS IN BOCA RATON ABOUT THE SAFETY MEASURES TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN. EVERY YEAR, PALM BEACH COUNTY OCEAN RESCUE SAYS RIP CURRENTS ACCOUNT FOR MORE DROWNING DEATHS THAN EVERY WEATHER RELATED HAZARD COMBINED IN SOUTH FLORIDA. JUST RECENTLY, A DAD DROWNED AS HE SAVED HIS KIDS LIVES FROM A RIP CURRENT, SO SAFETY MEASURES SHOULD BE WAY CLOSER TO THE WATER. I\u2019M GLAD TO SEE THAT THIS ATV HERE AND THIS LIFEGUARD IS SO THAT\u2019S VERY REASSURING. BUT WE LOST THE FATHER, YOU KNOW, THIS WEEK, AND IT\u2019S SUPER SAD TO KNOW THAT YOU\u2019RE GOING INTO A HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND YOU KNOW, YOUR DAD IS GONE. MUCH OF FLORIDA\u2019S EAST COAST IS UNDER A HIGH RIP. CURRENT RISK, INCLUDING BEACHES ALONG PALM BEACH COUNTY AND THE TREASURE COAST. AS PARENTS WATCHING THEIR KIDS, YOU WANT TO BE AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE. I THINK PARENTS WHO ARE SUPER ACTIVE, THEY\u2019RE ENGAGING THEIR KIDS AND HOW TO IDENTIFY WHAT A RIP CURRENT IS, AND THEY\u2019RE TEACHING THEIR KIDS HOW TO SWIM OUT OF IT. BUT IF YOU\u2019RE VISITING FROM OUT OF TOWN, IT\u2019S VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A PARENT REALLY LOOKS LIKE. HERE AT SPANISH RIVER BEACH, THERE ARE BOTH RED AND PURPLE FLAGS, MEANING THERE ARE HIGH SURF CONDITIONS, STRONG RIP CURRENTS, AND DANGEROUS MARINE LIFE, AND THE COMMON MISCONCEPTION WITH RIP CURRENTS IS HOW YOU SHOULD APPROACH, RIGHT. A LOT OF PEOPLE FIGHT THE RIP CURRENTS AND THAT IS A LOSING BATTLE. SO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS SWIM WITH THE CURRENT UNTIL THE RIP CURRENT STOPS, AND THEN YOU CAN MAKE YOUR WAY BACK TO THE OCEAN SHORE. LIEUTENANT CARL RICHARDS WITH BOCA RATON FIRE RESCUE SAYS IN REGARDS TO DANGEROUS MARINE LIFE, JELLYFISH STINGS AT BEACHES IN BOCA RATON ARE COMMON. WE DO HAVE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE FOR THOSE TYPE OF EMERGENCIES, AND WE DO HAVE REMEDIES THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY HELP THOSE THAT ARE AFFECTED BY JELLYFISH. BUT THOSE ARE THE MOST COMMON. BEACHGOERS SHOULD ONLY SWIM AT GUARDED BEACHES. THERE ARE 14 IN PALM BEACH COUNTY, GUARDED DAILY FROM NINE IN THE MORNI\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
High rip current risk prompts warnings along South Florida beaches after recent drowning<\/p>\n
A father drowned saving his children from a rip current in Palm Beach County, highlighting the dangers of rip currents along Florida’s east coast.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 11:16 PM EDT Apr 5, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\tEditorial Standards \u24d8<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tPalm Beach County Ocean Rescue reports that rip currents cause more drowning deaths annually than all other weather-related hazards combined in Southeast Florida. Recently, a father drowned while saving his children from a rip current on Juno Beach. A beachgoer reacted to the tragedy, saying, “Safety measures should be way close to the water. I’m glad to see that this ATV here and this lifeguard is. That’s very reassuring, but we lost a father this week, and it’s super sad to know that you’re going into a holiday weekend and your dad is gone,” said resident Melissa Montalvo.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsMuch of Florida’s east coast, including beaches along Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, is under a high rip current risk.”As parents watching their kids, you want to be as close as possible. I think parents who are super active, they’re engaging their kids in how to identify what a rip current is, and they’re teaching their kids how to swim out of it. But if you’re visiting from out of town, it’s very difficult to understand what a rip current really looks like,” Montalvo said.At Spanish River Beach, red and purple flags are shown indicating high surf, strong currents, and dangerous marine life.Lt. Karl Richards of Boca Raton Fire Rescue said, “The common misconception with rip currents is how you should approach. A lot of people fight the rip currents, and that is a losing battle. So, what you need to do is swim with the current until the rip current stops and then you can make your way back to the ocean shore.”Richards also noted that jellyfish stings are common calls at Boca Raton beaches. Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.”We do have protocols in place for those type of emergencies, and we do have remedies that we can actually help those that are affected by jellyfish, but those are the most common,” Richards said.Beachgoers should only swim at guarded beaches, which are monitored daily from 9 a.m. to 5:20 p.m.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tBOCA RATON, Fla. \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue reports that rip currents cause more drowning deaths annually than all other weather-related hazards combined in Southeast Florida.<\/a> Recently, a father drowned while saving his children from a rip current on Juno Beach.<\/p>\n A beachgoer reacted to the tragedy, saying, “Safety measures should be way close to the water. I’m glad to see that this ATV here and this lifeguard is. That’s very reassuring, but we lost a father this week, and it’s super sad to know that you’re going into a holiday weekend and your dad is gone,” said resident Melissa Montalvo.<\/p>\n