The Jersey Shore braces for a dangerous weekend in the surf. Lifeguards in Spring Lake have already pulled dozens of swimmers out of the water on Friday.

“The riptide took me out like really far and I was on my boogie board and I couldn’t get out,” said Maeve Faulkner, of Hazlet.

Faulkner and her friend Finley Charters nearly got swept out to sea on a day while green flags flew over Spring Lake Beach.

“There were three other kids that were with us that got taken out by the rip current and the lifeguard tried to push them back in but then Maeve started floating out, too, and they had to help Maeve,” said Charters.

The 8-year-old girls say they’re good swimmers. But even the best can be overpowered by hurricane swells, according to chief lifeguard Tony Hipsley.

“A swell that’s tropically generated has much more power to it. The wave breaks with more force and the size builds up larger for it for a heavier wave,” said Hipsley.

Hipsley says if you’re caught in a rip, stay calm and the guards will see you. If you’re alone, swim parallel to the coast and then head to shore once you’re safely out of the current.

“There’s a lull between sets, it looks calm and looks inviting, you can go minutes between sets and then it’s life-threatening surf,” he said.

“Don’t always trust the ocean even if it looks calm because you don’t really know if it’s calm or not, you must remember maybe it’s not calm. You have to think before you go in,” said Faulkner.

Lifeguards say the best way to keep yourself safe when lifeguards are off duty is to stay out of the ocean, regardless of the color of the warning flags.