People planning to spend time in the water are being asked to be careful as the waves grow larger and the rip currents get stronger over the next couple of days.
"There is a hurricane that's coming up from Baja called Hurricane Marie, an extremely strong storm headed out to the Northwest,” San Diego Lifeguard Sgt. Bill Bender said. “And it should be approaching a window that should generate pretty large surf for the San Diego coastline."
The bigger waves will be noticed along south-facing beaches. Bender says people should only swim in areas where a lifeguard is present. He encourages people to talk to the lifeguard before they get into the water. Bender says lifeguards are there to help if a rip current causes a problem.
"If you find yourself getting pulled out, getting farther away from shore and you're having trouble swimming back in, it is best to swim (parallel to the shore) and if you can't swim (parallel to the shore), just raise your hand, float on your back, wave your arms, and lifeguards will be out to help you,” Bender said.
San Diego surfer Tyler Hawk was out at Tourmaline Surf Park with a friend. He says the water has been warmer than usual this summer and he's looking for a good week of surfing as summer winds down. Hawk has already noticed that there's a little extra juice in the waves.
“It is bigger is size, especially during the summer, we usually get smaller waves, but like I said, it’s strong out there," Hawk said.
National Weather Service officials say there's a chance of flooding along the coast. They are also warning about sneaker waves, which are unexpectedly large waves that can wash over jetties, rocks and even beaches.
The National Weather Service issued a beach hazards statement for the county's coastal areas, which is set to take effect at 9 a.m. and extend through late Thursday night.
Surf of 8 to 10 feet are expected to hit the beaches of northern Orange County Tuesday and become more widespread by Wednesday.
Forecasters said the surf along San Diego County beaches would likely stay under 7 feet, but could increase as the swell turns more southwesterly Wednesday and Thursday. However, particularly strong rip currents and longshore currents are expected through Thursday, according to the statement.
Forecasters said 3- to 5-foot surf would begin to show up at beaches north of Oceanside on Tuesday, and 4-to 6-foot surf would extend south to Carlsbad on Wednesday. Surf of 4 to 6 feet with sets of up to 7 feet is expected in southern Carlsbad on Thursday.
The southerly swell is expected to fade Wednesday night into Thursday, the National Weather Service statement said.
City News Service contributed to this report.
