Police take swimmers off
beach due to high swells
BEACON HILL--Police patrols were in Beacon Hill on Wednesday moving thrill-seekers off the beach to keep them safe from the dangerously high swells hitting the island since Tuesday evening.
Severe sea conditions the past two nights were the results of a passing Atlantic storm that smashed the Northern side of the island with swells between four and six meters high. Some beaches in Dutch St. Maarten were affected with unusually high swells also.
Many thrill-seeking beach-goers were seen throwing themselves into the rough seas, but police were called to put a stop to it.
“We were in the area controlling the people and taking them off the beach,” said police spokesman Chief Inspector Johan “Janchi” Leonard Wednesday afternoon.
Visitors and some residents have been known to stand just outside the airport runway to experience the jet-blast from plane takeoffs, despite very visible warnings against these practices.
The swells are expected to continue until Friday.
