It’s blazing hot outside but before you run right into the ocean or pool, make sure you’re prepared for the shock of the cooler water. Visitors to Belmar Beach on Wednesday had some very different reactions after taking a dip.
“Oh, it was a shock! Said some choice words that I can’t say on News 12,” said Elyse McMahon, of Howell.
“It’s not bad. Once you get used to it. You just have to go in, make a run especially when it’s 100 degrees out. It’s perfect,” said triplets Kaylee, Lexi, and April Bussenger, who were visiting from the Lehigh Valley.
Ocean temperatures can swing several degrees either way in just a few hours. At daybreak, Seaside Park had a reading below 60 degrees, and in Belmar it's in the mid-60s.
“It’s honestly a thing we’ll recommend. Get yourself in some cool water, regulate that body temperature and just do whatever you can to cool off,” said Lt. Jack Gramlich, the Wall Township Emergency Management coordinator and an active lifeguard with Spring Lake Beach.
Lt. Gramlich recommends planning ahead if you’re spending time outside by the beach or pool.
“Hydrate today for tomorrow. If you feel start to feel lethargy and you were sweating and stopped sweating, any significant sunburn, seek shade, seek that cool water,” he said.
“It will be refreshing if you stay in for as long as you can tolerate it. Once they come out, they go back out, heat up and jump back in. It is tolerable. The water is warming up very slowly this year,” said Harry Harsin, chief lifeguard and Belmar Beach safety supervisor.