Large crowds, calm surf conditions expected for Memorial Day weekend in Panama City Beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH − The Beach is gearing up for what could be one of its busiest weekends of the summer.

As beach safety director for Panama City Beach Fire Rescue, Daryl Paul said he expects local beaches to be packed for Memorial Day weekend. He also said forecasts as of Wednesday morning call for clear surf conditions through Sunday.

"We've had spring break, but that comes and goes really fast," Paul said. "That just kind of knocks the rust off the bolts and gets everybody warmed up. Memorial Day is kind of when things start to move in (for the summer).

"It's going to be a hard weekend, (and) it's going to be a busy weekend everywhere."

As of Wednesday morning, he noted that local lifeguards so far this year already have performed 20 rescues, 77 public assists and about 18,000 preventative actions.

Rescues are when struggling swimmers are pulled from the water. Public assists are when a lifeguard enters the water to prevent a drowning. Preventative actions are when a lifeguard prevents someone from needing assistance.

Paul also said that although Wednesday's forecast showed calm surf conditions until about Sunday, beachgoers should still always be cautious of rip currents when entering the Gulf of Mexico.

Rip currents are fast-moving currents created by channels in sandbars. The channels run perpendicular to the shoreline and cause water to funnel faster out into deeper waters. Rip currents can vary in strength, depending on how developed the channels are. They can sometimes be identified from shore where there is a gap in the wave break — areas where the white caps of the breaks are less noticeable.

Rips can exist when there are larger waves, as well as when the Gulf appears calm from the shore. That's why beachgoers should understand that local beach flags do not represent how large the waves are, but the strength of rip currents at that time.

Common flag colors used in beach flag warning systems include a green flag for low hazard conditions, a yellow flag for medium hazard conditions, one red flag for high hazard conditions and two red flags for very dangerous conditions.

Panama City Beach and Bay County, however, never fly green flags because officials say beachgoers should always be cautious anytime they enter the Gulf. It also is illegal in Bay County to swim in double-red-flag conditions under penalty of a $500 fine.

Paul advised beachgoers to always swim near lifeguards. In Panama City Beach, lifeguards are stationed at the Russell-Fields Pier, with Bay County lifeguards stationed at the M.B Miller Pier. There also are roving lifeguards that cover other portions of the coast.

"The forecast is showing pretty calm seas, calm conditions all the way through Sunday, and then Monday and Tuesday it picks up pretty hard," Paul said. "We should have some nice conditions for the weekend, but that's just what the models are showing. Mother Nature is going to do her thing."

The best thing a swimmer can do if they're caught in a rip current is swim parallel to shore, meaning toward the left or right of where they are in distress. If they do this, they can break free from the current, often landing on a sandbar where they can stand. If they still cannot stand, they will at least be in calmer water where it will be easier to make it back to shore.

If they are too tired to swim, the next best thing they can do is to try and float on their back, remain calm and wave their arms to notify people ashore.

Paul said beachgoers should never attempt an open water rescue, but they should instead call 911 and notify trained lifeguards of any struggling swimmer.

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Of the six beachgoers who drowned last year in Panama City Beach, all were tourists who got caught in a rip current after entering the Gulf in an attempt to rescue a struggling swimmer.

It should be noted that along with the six people who drowned in Panama City Beach last year, three people also drowned on unincorporated beaches outside the city limits, making nine Bay County beach drownings in 2023. There has been one drowning so far this year.

"Panama City Beach wants you to come and visit our shorelines," Paul said. "We want you to come and visit our home. We want you to have long-lasting, fun memories with your family and friends. But we want you to visit responsibly, and that's why we're such strong advocates of swimming near a lifeguard."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach expects big crowds, calm surf Memorial Day weekend