Rip Current Awareness

by Jason Allentoff

The top ten beaches named by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium back in May take part in a special outreach campaign regarding rip currents.
The beaches on the list from Sandy Hook down to Cape May will serve as Ambassador Communities for Rip Current Awareness. There will be brochures at beach badge stands, you'll see signs posted around and the lifeguards will serve as a mouthpiece to the initiative. Director of Communications Kim Kosko says it's something that they've done in the past and seems to be successful. Education continues to be a key component of any awareness campaign and this one is no exception.

So far this summer, there have been several deaths and accidents related to rip currents. Kosko and the other members of the Consortium feel that if this campaign spreads out wide enough, they can cut down on the number of incidents.

The beaches that were on the top ten list include Ocean City, Long Beach Island, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Asbury Park, North Wildwood, Cape May, Seaside Heights, Sea Isle City and Avalon.