Parks Canada has downgraded surf conditions at all P.E.I. National Park beaches except Greenwich from dangerous to moderate.
The agency said rip currents may still be present and visitors are asked to use caution and swim at supervised beaches only.
Parks Canada issued an advisory Saturday morning about dangerous surf conditions with the possibility of rip currents at all of its beaches.
Rip currents are a hazard on P.E.I. beaches and form when waves break near the shoreline, piling up water between the breaking waves and the beach. One of the ways this water returns to sea is to form a rip current, a narrow stream of water moving swiftly away from shore.
Related: Summerside couple gets caught in riptide at Malpeque Bay
The danger is when swimmers become trapped in the rapid current and are swept offshore. Swimmers are advised not to panic if they get caught in a rip current, but to remain calm and swim parallel to shore to get out of the current; then swim back to shore.
See below for Parks Canada’s video “Rip Currents –The Hidden Danger,” which advises beach visitors on how to identify the signs of a rip current.
For more information, call 902-672-6350.
