History Beach Safety Tips Beach Fires Public Safety Home Ocean Beach is dangerous for swimming and wading A number of people have drowned here, even while wading near the shoreline. No matter how calm the water looks, deadly rip currents and cold water can cost you your life.
Rip currents are strong, swift-moving channels of water rushing from the shore out to sea.
Children and adults have been swept away even in shallow water. Cold water is another serious hazard at Ocean Beach. In a short time, immersion into the cold water here can lead to numbness, confusion, disorientation, loss of body control, unconciousness, and death. Shorebreaks, waves breaking directly on steep sloping beaches, add to the risk of Ocean Beach. These can lead to serious neck and spinal injuries.