Happy summer, friends! You know I love the beach, but nothing freaks me out more than riptides.
With Hurricane Erin stirring up the East Coast, I called in my go-to water safety guy — Wyatt Werneth, spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association. I call him the James Bond of lifeguards … because, well, he is.
Wyatt literally jumped off the beach in Cocoa Beach, Florida to join me on the show. His first tip? “Everywhere there’s a dip, there’s a rip.”
Translation: If the water keeps rushing in and your blanket, toys, and beach bag get soaked while everyone around you stays dry — there’s a riptide zone in front of you.
We also talked about what to do if you get caught up in one.
For years, the rule was: swim parallel to the shore. But Wyatt says research shows riptides don’t always pull straight out — sometimes going sideways or in circles.
Meaning? Swimming parallel may not always work. That’s why you may have also heard new advice: turn over, float, and indicate you need help.
Wyatt broke it down in a way we can all remember with the acronym RIP:
The most important? Relax and float. Don’t panic, conserve your energy, and let rescuers spot you.
And here’s his mic-drop line: “Your ability to swim could save your life.”
Wyatt also shared the success of his Drown Zero Project, which places life rings at every public beach access in Brevard County. The results? They went from 14 drownings a year to zero. Yes, ZERO. Chills, right? Why aren’t we doing this everywhere???
We even touched on the nationwide lifeguard shortage. Wyatt’s dream is that lifeguards are finally recognized as true professionals — “one of the few public safety groups whose very name says it all… Lifeguards guard lives.”
I don’t know about you, but I’ll never look at a day at the beach the same way again.
Big thanks to Wyatt for running off the beach for me one more time!
Until next time, remember Wyatt’s parting words: “Swim in front of the lifeguard, America.”
Would be beneficial to you to listen to this serious lifeguard wisdom in this podcast of my live conversation with Wyatt Werneth on The Debbie Nigro Show.
