One fatality, scores of rescues earlier this week due to storm

Ocean City lifeguards rescued about 80 people on Monday, followed by another 90 struggling swimmers on Tuesday as a storm far offshore caused dangerous conditions in the ocean.

Farther south, a Pennsylvania man drowned Tuesday while swimming at Assateague National Seashore on an unguarded portion of the beach.

“Rip currents were stronger yesterday than Monday,” Ocean City Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin, said Wednesday afternoon. “The hurricane is pushing more water on the beach and it has to go back out.”

A few Beach Patrol guards were kept after hours and responded to several 911 calls on Monday night from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Guards were available on Tuesday evening as well.

“The big thing is these people should not be in the ocean,” Arbin said. “We pull everyone out at 5:30 p.m. when we leave the beach and they made the decision to go back in.”

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