Coast Guard Preaching 'Caution & Common Sense' To Bay Area Beach Goers
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- It's a busy time of year for the Coast Guard as the weather heats up and people head for the water, and the agency is encouraging beach goers and boaters to use "caution and common sense."
The Coast Guard and the Park Service have posted signs at Ocean Beach warning beach goers not to swim because of rip tides - signs which are often ignored with deadly consequences.
The red Coast Guard helicopter based at an air station by SFO has been launching on a daily basis.
"It could be a nice, sunny San Francisco day, upwards to the 80's, but the water is still at a temperature that could cause hypothermia," Coast Guard Officer Adam Stanton told KCBS.
Stanton says even a minute in the cold water can be dangerous.
"A formula called 1-10-1 – one minute you kind of lose your breath and muscle movement; after ten minutes you can't really move too much because of the water, and then an hour, hypothermia has actually set in," Stanton said.
The Coast Guard has also responded to an increasing number of cliff rescues recently.
"We live in a very beautiful area, but it is very dynamic, and can be hazardous," Stanton said.
