BETHANY BEACH, Del. - The beach in Bethany was fenced off today by beach patrol. This was in preparation for the high tide and rough waves making their way up to the dune - all coming to Delaware as a result of Hurricane Erin passing by the region.
While the next high tide is expected later this evening, water was already covering most of the beach. Lifeguard chairs had to be taken off of the beach to prevent them from being swept into the ocean.
Bethany Beach Code Enforcement Officer, Emily Shaw, was by the beach today, making sure everyone was being safe. She did, though, have some concerns about what the waves will do to the dunes.
"The tides just coming in and it may damage the dunes here in Bethany," said Shaw. "We will take care of it. We just hope that everybody stay safe."
Shaw told WBOC she has not seen conditions like this since being a Code Enforcement Officer for Bethany Beach.
The high winds and the high tides hampered the high expectations some visitors had for a family beach vacation.
"We came here all together as a family. We came here for a week but it's been raining and stuff," said Riley Elsenbeck from Albany, NY. "Yesterday we were all blocked in so it's kind of disappointing that we're not allowed to do anything."
Visitors lined the fences on the dune ramps to take pictures and videos of the unique sights of the huge waves. It brought excitement to some beach goers.
"The wind was coming from every direction, which was causing rip currents and the waves were, like, crashing in the middle at the edges," said Shane Cavanaugh from Exton, PA. "They were just, like, sitting there. And some of them, like, they crash before they even like it was just. It was just really cool."
Meanwhile, Shane's eight-year-old brother, Logan, had a different opinion.
"I'm kind of scared of the waves because if I go in there now, I get pulled by the, rip current and they're all round," said Logan Cavanaugh. "Rip currents are all round. So if I get pulled by one, I'm not escaping it anytime soon."
As the hurricane passes by, Bethany Beach Patrol Captain, Joe Donnelly, has some advice when it come to getting back on the beach.
"When beaches do start opening up again, we still may have the rip currents, we still may have the high surf, and still may have some wind," said Captain Donnelly. "So always check with your lifeguards, check with your local authorities as to what's happening in your beach area and do your best to follow those."
The Bethany Beach Patrol did not have a clear answer as to when the fences will be taken down and beach access will open again.
