By Lauren Pozen, Dean Fioresi
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LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Hundreds of people were rescued from ocean waters along the California coast on the Fourth of July due to strong currents and powerful surf conditions.
According to the National Weather Service, some swells reached between six and eight feet, which could create dangerous conditions, even for the strong of swimmers, when there are such powerful currents to match.
In Huntington Beach, lifeguards reported over 150 water rescues on Friday, while in Newport Beach lifeguards said that they responded to more than 350 of their own calls.
Those rescues include one dramatic incident, when a “monster current” dragged 10 surfers deep into the water. Part of the incident was captured on video from a Newport Beach Lifeguard helicopter.
“Rip currents, they’re essentially rivers of water that are flowing out to sea, and they could be identified by choppy water as they force themselves against the direction of the swells, as well as the agitated sand,” said Lifeguard Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda. “You see the brown water, brown churning water, that’s sand that’s collected in the current.”
If one does find themselves caught up in a current, Yacenda said the best route is to not panic.
“Keep your head above the surface and swim parallel to shore, to get out of that brown, choppy, sandy water. That’s really rough and carrying you out. Once you’re out of that rip current, then you can kind of swim angled into shore,” he said.
Weather officials said that similar conditions were expected to last through Sunday.
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Hundreds of beachgoers rescued from powerful ocean currents on Fourth of July News Channel 3-12.
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