Surf conditions dangerous in P.E.I. National Park

Parks Canada issued a warning about dangerous surf conditions in P.E.I. National Park on Monday.

In high surf conditions, Parks Canada warns, rip currents can form and are dangerous to swimmers.

Rip currents run away from the shoreand are too fast for people to swim against, the agency said in a news release.

Visitors are strongly recommended not to enter the water in these conditions.

Rip currents form when waves break near the shoreline, piling up water between the breaking waves and the beach, Parks Canada says.

One of the ways this water returns to sea is to form a rip current a narrow stream of water moving swiftly away from shore, the release says. The danger is when swimmers become trapped in the rapid current and are swept offshore.

Swimmers caught in a rip current should not try to swim against it, the release says.Remain calm and swim parallel to the shore.

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