A man jogs by the Lobster Dip sign at Old Orchard Beach on Wednesday where hundreds of people would normally be standing on New Year’s Day. The 37th annual Lobster Dip in Old Orchard Beach was canceled because of dangerous surf conditions. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

With 450 people slated to run into the ocean on New Year’s Day, Old Orchard Beach fire Chief John Gilboy had been keeping a close eye on the surf.

As the start of the annual Lobster Dip to benefit Special Olympics Maine approached, the waves were 4 to 5 feet high and conditions were getting worse. The height of the waves, angle of the beach and timing of the tide combined to create conditions that lead to dangerous rip currents.

Gilboy made the tough call to call off the dip because the risk was too great for both dippers and the rescue personnel on standby.

“You could see the sand just get chopped around from the action of the waves,” he said. “It just wasn’t safe.”

It’s common for swimmers and lifeguards on Maine beaches, especially along the 7-mile shore of Old Orchard Beach, to be vigilant about rip currents during the summer, but the cancellation of the 37th annual Lobster Dip was an unfortunate reminder that they’re also a concern during winter.

“Rip currents are year-round. The reason we don’t emphasize them as much this time of year is because there are less people on the beach,” said Daryen Granata, the harbor master and marine resource officer in Scarborough.

Old Orchard Beach has always been prone to rip currents because of a deep trough that forms at the end of the steep slope in its surf zone. Then came storms that altered the shape of the beach, leading to a summer with a record number of people rescued from the water.

The storms last January washed away 5 feet of sand under the pier, creating a hot spot for rip currents. Long before the arrival of summer weather, local officials warned that the changes to the beach would likely lead to a busy summer for lifeguards.

Last summer, Old Orchard Beach lifeguards rescued 129 people, a stunning increase from 29 rescues the previous year. Other swimmers were caught in rip currents but were able to get themselves out or were assisted by other beachgoers.

A rip current is a narrow jet of water flowing swiftly away from the shore, through the surf zone and past the line of breaking waves at surf beaches. They are formed when waves break near the shoreline, piling up water between the break and the beach.

Rip currents are usually too slow to be considered dangerous, and begin to dissipate as they move offshore beyond the breaking waves. But under certain wave, tide and beach conditions, their speeds can exceed 5 mph, faster than even an Olympic swimmer can swim.

Every year, an average of 71 people drown in rip currents in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service. Fifty-nine people died in a rip current in 2024, according to preliminary numbers from the weather service surf fatalities database. Maine has never had a rip current fatality.

This week, the height of the waves was a big factor in the decision to call off the Lobster Dip and issue advisories asking people to stay out of the water. If it was summer, Gilboy said, it would have been a red flag day warning of rip current conditions in the water.

There is a 3-foot drop in some spots on the stretch of beach where the Lobster Dip is held, Gilboy said.

“When those waves come and hit the bank, it churns up underneath and it’s very easy to get knocked over,” he said. “The first wave knocks you over and the second one really gets you. That was our biggest concern.”

People who had hoped to participate in the dip — ranging in age from children to seniors — were warned about the conditions and asked to stay out of the water, but some ran in anyway.

“We told them you’re taking your life in your hands. If they were swept out, we wouldn’t be able to get to them,” Gilboy said.

The vast majority of people who go into the ocean in southern Maine during the winter are surfers. Popular winter surfing spots include Higgins and Pine Point beaches in Scarborough and the stretch of Old Orchard Beach closest to the line between the two towns.

In Scarborough, where Granata said those same winter storms wreaked havoc on the beaches, surfers are used to contending with rip currents. Most are experienced in the water and are properly equipped with a board and wet suit that add buoyancy, he said.

“They know what the rip current looks like,” Granata said. “They know how to ride it out, swim parallel to shore and swim back to the beach.”

Granata said people who are going into the water, whether it’s for a quick dip, swim or to surf, need to maintain situation awareness. They should always check the tide and wind direction, and know which way to swim if they get drawn out, he said.

“We can’t emphasize enough that if you’re going to recreate in the coastal waters, especially this time of year, it’s really important to make sure you’re fully prepared with proper equipment and gear,” he said.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT RIP CURRENTS

Rip currents can occur at any surf beach but are usually too slow to be dangerous. They often form at low spots or breaks in sandbars, and near structures such as groins, jetties and piers. Look for these clues to indicate when and where a rip current is occurring:
• Break in the incoming wave pattern.
• Channel of churning, choppy water.
• Area having a notable difference in water color.
• Line of foam, seaweed, or debris moving steadily seaward.

The best way to protect yourself from a rip current is to avoid them:
• Check the National Weather Service surf forecast before heading to the beach.
• Learn to swim in surf and never swim alone.
• Swim near a lifeguard.
• Look for posted signs and yellow or red warning flags.
• Follow lifeguard instructions.

What to do if you get caught in a rip current:
• Don’t try to swim directly to shore; people drown in rips because they grow too tired to stay afloat.
• Swim along the shoreline until you escape the current’s pull.
• When free from the current’s pull, swim at an angle away from the current toward shore.