Lifeguard Scott Sonstroem, 16, sits high on his stand as he overlooks Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly yesterday.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

WESTERLY — The lifeguards at Misquamicut State Beach earned their $10 an hour Monday.

They pulled nine people out of treacherous rip-tide currents that can form instantly, and drag even strong swimmers far from shore.

“People don’t realize how dangerous [rip tides] are, and then they get caught all of a sudden,” said Bonnie Mello, Misquamicut’s beach manager.

About 1,500 visitors come to the beach each day, watched by one dozen to two dozen lifeguards. When the waves are rough and the danger of rip tides is high, lifeguards put out red flags and restrict swimming. Signs posted outside of the beach’s restrooms illustrate rip tides and how to escape them. Mello also announces warnings on the loudspeaker every half-hour.

“But, still,” she said, “sometimes people give us a hard time.”

The day’s last rescue came shortly after the lifeguards ended their shift at 6 p.m. A 19-year-old man was dragged under the waves and nearly drowned, the lifeguards said.

Beaches, perhaps the most popular of summer destinations, can also be deadly — as two recent deaths show.

State officials that oversee and inspect the state’s 128 freshwater, salt, public and private bathing beaches — say they hope that beach-goers obey warnings.

On Sunday, a 14-year-old East Providence girl nearly drowned when she was caught in rough tidal waters around a sandbar at Conimicut Point, a city beach in Warwick. Tiffany Martinez, who suffered brain damage, has died as a result of the incident.

In Jamestown on Monday afternoon, 24-year-old Derrick Cazard of Newport jumped into strong currents from the rocks at Fort Wetherhill State Park, an area with numerous warning signs, and died. On Monday, the currents along Rhode Island’s southern coast were particularly strong. The nine rescues at Misquamicut made it the busiest day so far this season, Mello said.

Officials say swimmers need to be especially aware of the dangers of rip tides, strong currents that form near sandbars and shorelines when ridges of sand build up. Prevailing winds and offshore storm systems can contribute to rip tides’ strength. A forceful wave can break through the sand, creating a powerful channel of water that flows back out to sea in a rush. Relatively strong swimmers are advised to let the current carry them several yards away from the shoreline, until they can break away and swim parallel to the beach. Swimmers who panic and try to fight the current can end up in distress.

“A lot of people walk past the signs and don’t even look at them,” said Robert J. Paquette, chief of Parks and Recreation for the DEM. “We want people to read the signs and listen to what the lifeguards and beach managers say.”

Lifeguards say while most swimmers follow the rules, some resent them. “We get all kinds of complaints,” said Andrew Girard, 20, of Charlestown, a lifeguard at Misquamicut. “ ‘Why did I pay to come to the beach if you’re going to restrict swimming?’ they say. We try to explain it’s for their own good.”

Boaters also need to follow safety measures, including wearing life jackets, said Steve Hall, chief of law enforcement for the DEM. “Drowning is the most common cause of death,” Hall said. “Of the 700 people who die each year in recreational boating accidents, more than 500 of them would have been saved if they were wearing a life jacket.”

Hall also said boaters should limit alcohol use.

Yesterday morning, hundreds of towels, umbrellas, shovels and pails dotted mile-long Misquamicut Beach. Kids on body boards splashed in the surf, but the rip-tide risk was low. A perfect day at the beach.

“On a day like today, we are really just watching for any currents that could carry people out too far, or for people who might swim out too far, or for any boats that come in too close,” said lifeguard Scott Sonstroem, 16.

Brenda and Louis Simao, of Newington, Conn., who vacation in Westerly each summer, said they remember lifeguards posting the red warning flags from time to time.

“There are times that the waves here will just knock you down,” Brenda Simao said. “Sometimes the lifeguards don’t let you go too far out. But it’s for your safety. You have to do what they tell you to do.”

All the 128 public and private beaches that are monitored by the state have been cleared to open, but beach traffic may be lighter than usual this holiday weekend. According to the National Weather Service, Rhode Island could experience rain showers and thunderstorms today and tomorrow morning, due to a cold front moving in from New York, said Kim Buttrick, a meteorologist at the Taunton forecast office. Girl who rescued companion dies

Tiffany Martinez, the 14-year-old girl who suffered brain damage after nearly drowning on Sunday, has died, hospital officials said yesterday.

Tiffany, of East Providence, was celebrating her birthday with her family at Warwick’s Conimicut Point. She was in the water with another youth when the current shifted. She struggled to keep the 8-year-old boy’s head above water, a move the boy’s mother credited with saving her son’s life. But by the time the girl’s stepfather, Carlos Gonzalez, reached her, she was exhausted from the effort and no longer able to stay afloat.

Tiffany had been in the intensive-care unit of Hasbro Chidren’s Hospital since Sunday.Swimming safety tips

•Never swim alone.

•Stay at least 100 feet from piers and jetties. Permanent rip currents often exist along these structures.

•Learn to swim in the surf. It’s different from swimming in a pool or lake.

•Wear polarized sunglasses at the beach. They will help you spot rip currents by cutting down glare off the ocean’s surface.

•Always obey instructions and orders from lifeguards.

SOURCE: National Weather Service

jjordan@projo.com