PEI

Visitors warned conditions at P.E.I. National Park too risky for swimming

Islanders and Atlantic bubble visitors are being warned against going into the ocean off P.E.I. National Park today because of the potential for life-threatening rip currents.

Park says surf conditions dangerous Friday

Prince Edward Island's North Shore is prone to the development of rip currents, dangerous patterns that can drag unwary swimmers away from shore and out to sea. (Kevin Yarr/CBC)

Islanders and Atlantic bubble visitors are being warned against going into the ocean off P.E.I. National Park on Friday.

Surf conditions are labelled as dangerous, according to an advisory from park officials. "To ensure visitor safety; entering the water is not recommended," it said.

Prince Edward Island's North Shore is prone to the development of rip currents, dangerous patterns that can drag unwary swimmers away from shore and out to sea. 

The advisory notes that rip currents form "when waves break near the shoreline, piling up water between the breaking waves and the beach. 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 air temperature at the time of the advisory was 19 C and the water temperature was 17 C.

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