DEWEY BEACH, Del. -- Access to the ocean in Dewey Beach remained closed on Thursday after an overnight closure of the beach on Sept. 7 due to dangerous tidal flooding.
Dewey Beach Patrol Lifeguard Lt. Michael Portmann was one of the lifeguards on patrolling to beach via ATV on Thursday.
"Usually every year in the fall, when we're fall guarding down here, you can see tidal floods come in," Portmann says. "It's really been a perfect storm this week, due to the lunar cycles, as well as with the northeast wind. We want to keep all of our swimmers close to shore. No boogie boarding, no surfing in worry that people will get swept out, so we'll keep people ankle and knee deep."
A tidal flooding and rip current advisory was issued with high tide occurring at about 7:30 p.m., as tides began to roll in close to 5 p.m.
Many people on the beach on Thursday told WBOC that they were not aware of the ocean access closure, but they didn't need it to deter them from getting in the water.
"Normally I would be out with a little boogie board, but today, no," Taffy Ferguson, a visitor to Dewey Beach says. "Not a bit. The waves are really, really rough. You have to know what you're doing."
Matthew Bellino, another Dewey Beach visitor echoed a similar sentiment.
"Use your own judgement," Bellino says. "I mean it looks pretty rough."
According to Dewey Beach Patrol, if winds do not die down, there is potential for another flood within the next few days. They are continuing to monitor the tides and beach, and advise beachgoers to error on the side of caution.
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