The town of Nags Head is debuting a new beach safety flag system this season. On particularly dangerous days, the town will fly double red flags declaring it unlawful to enter the Atlantic Ocean.
The town’s current system includes yellow flags for medium risk days and red “No Swimming” flags for high hazard days. The new double red flags will mean the water is closed to the public and swimming is unlawful, according to a town news release.
The new flag system required an amendment to a town ordinance, approved by the Board of Commissioners on March 6, said Nags Head spokeswoman Roberta Thuman.
On days when a “combination of environmental conditions, dangerous riptides and undercurrents occur in the ocean surf” make swimming unsafe, the town manager or designee is authorized to “prohibit all swimming in the Atlantic Ocean” until conditions improve, the amendment reads.
Lifeguard supervisors will be working in conjunction with Dare County Emergency Management’s “Love the Beach, Respect the Ocean” project and the National Weather Service’s rip current forecasting group to determine the level of risk each day, starting Memorial Day weekend through Oct. 15.
Once the town manager makes the declaration, signs will be posted on lifeguard stands and double red flags will be flown at beach accesses. The ordinance, which excludes surfers and body boarders, does not list any fines or punishment for violating it.
For decades, lifeguard agencies in the U.S. and around the world have employed flags to notify swimmers of conditions, to warn of hazards, to identify safer areas for swimming and to notify beach users about regulated areas.
To help ensure global consistency, the International Life Saving Federation developed international guidelines for warning flags, which has been endorsed by the United States Lifesaving Association, the town release said.
“By consistently following these warning flag guidelines, lifeguard agencies can help ensure a universal understanding of their meaning and thus improve their effectiveness,” the release said.
The other Outer Banks beachfront towns also use the yellow and red flag warnings, but have not implemented the double red flags. Kill Devil Hills also has a purple flag warning of marine life near shore.
Under Nags Head’s new system, the warning flag definitions include:
Yellow — Medium hazard. Moderate surf and/or currents are present. Weak swimmers are discouraged from entering the water. For others, enhanced care and caution should be exercised.
Red — High hazard. Rough conditions such as strong surf and/or currents are present. All swimmers are discouraged from entering the water. Those entering the water should take great care.
Double Red — Water is closed to public use. Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean shall be unlawful. The term “swimming” is defined to mean and include any entry into the water of the Atlantic Ocean whether assisted by a raft, float, or other aid or device commonly used, but shall not include any entry assisted by a “surfboard” or “body board and fins.”
