Each year, approximately 6-8 million visitors travel to the Alabama Gulf Coast to enjoy one of its greatest commodities, the white sandy beaches and clear Gulf waters. Unfortunately, those same waters claim an average of six lives each year.

While the Gulf of Mexico looks inviting, it has hidden dangers that even the strongest and most experienced swimmers can’t overcome. Rip currents are a daily concern on the Gulf Coast.

Every day, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach lifeguards patrol the beaches from the water and sand. On busy holiday weekends, they even patrol from the air thanks to a partnership with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. This season, Gulf Shores has had 202 rescues and two drownings, and Orange Beach has had 95 rescues and one drowning. Baldwin County 9-1-1 has received 31 swimmers in distress, six boaters in distress and one diving/drowning incident calls.

In an interview last summer, Gulf Shores Fire Chief Mark Sealy said “Being proactive is the biggest thing because most people that drown here didn’t go into the water expecting to drown. The weight of my responsibility is to get them that information. We are not going to rest as a department until we get that information out and we prevent these unnecessary disasters.”

To raise awareness and educate beachgoers, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism partnered with Baldwin County, Gulf Shores Fire Department and Orange Beach Fire Department over a year ago to push a safety campaign called “BEach Safe: Know Before You Go.”

The campaign is using billboards and literature to reach visitors in the car and their accommodations. A beach safety coloring sheet and children’s menu designed by Gulf Shores Fire Inspector Justin Parks educate visitors while they dine around the area. Visitors and residents can also receive text alerts daily regarding the beach flag warning for the day by texting ALERTBALDWIN to 888777. When you leave the area, you can text STOP to end the daily alerts.

When asked what the most common reason for water rescue or drowning in Gulf Shores, Gulf Shores Beach Safety Chief Joethan Phillips said, “I would say rip currents and swimming ability are the most common cause.”

Phillips gave his top six beach safety tips:

• Swim near a lifeguard.
• Know your limits.
• Understand how to spot and escape a rip current.
• Know the beach flag warning system and find the flag when you get to your location.
• Learn to swim.
• Wear a life jacket.

How to spot a rip current:

• Rip currents are most prevalent when the waves crash perpendicular to the beach rather than at an angle.
• One of the easiest ways to spot a rip current is to look for gaps between the waves. A small patch of calm water surrounded by waves is often a rip current.
• Look for discolored water near the shore. Rip currents tend to drag large amounts of sand and sediment back out to sea with them, so many rip currents are easily identified by a noticeable flow of sand extending away from the shore.
• Rip currents are also common in areas near sand bars, piers, pilings and jetties.

How to escape a rip current:

• Remain calm. Fighting the rip current can exhaust you.
• Escape the current by swimming parallel to the shoreline. When free of the current, swim at an angle — away from the current — toward shore.
• If unable to escape by swimming, float, or tread water. When the current weakens, swim at an angle away from the current toward the shore.
• If at any time you feel you will be unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself: face the shore, call, or wave for help.
• To help someone else caught in a rip current, first call 9-1-1 for assistance, then seek help from a lifeguard. If a lifeguard is not present, yell instructions on how to escape or throw the victim something that floats.

Know your location

When you are at the beach you may not know the address of your location, which is vital in case of an emergency. Download the what3words app on your phone and your location can be pinpointed within a 10-foot square. Baldwin County 9-1-1 has found it to be a helpful tool. There are many ways to use the app, some of the best uses include:

• Helping emergency services find you
• Finding your way back to your parking space
• Helping others find you are a festival or event
• For trail navigation

Orange Beach Surf Rescue posts beach conditions, safety videos and important information on its Facebook page every day. Gulf Shore Fire Rescue also posts safety videos and important information on its Facebook page.

For more information on the BEach Safe campaign, visit www.gulfshores.com.