Volusia County beaches fill up for Memorial Day Weekend

Beach Patrol urges caution during hazardous rip current conditions

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Beachgoers are starting to fill up area beaches for this Memorial Day Weekend.

"Last year we had to rescue more than 500 people out of the water," said Capt. Tammy Marris, of Beach Safety Patrol.

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Which is why Volusia County Beach Safety Patrol is urging beach-goers to swim near lifeguard towers.

"We did have some drownings that occurred in unguarded area, so swim in front of those lifeguard towers, it's extremely important," she said.

Marris said they're expecting hazardous rip current conditions, high tides and all hands on deck for a red flag weekend.

"We'll be looking at between 50-70 open lifeguard towers on the beach," she said.

"We try to stay as close as we can to the shore and as close as we can to the lifeguards," said Christina Ezzell.

"Safety to me is everything," said Byron White.

Beach Safety Patrol also said to expect high tides this weekend and a possibility of a tropical storm. The red flag be flying all weekend.

"People come down here on vacation and they're determined to get out here on the beach and play in the water. So, the rain could deter people, if we get a lot of it. If we don't, people are going to be out here," said Marris.


About the Author:

Loren Korn is a native Texan who joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2014. She was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.