Pensacola Beach Lifeguards will be shifting to winter staffing levels beginning Sunday, Oct. 16, when the lifeguard towers will be taken off the beach until the 2017 lifeguard season. Lifeguards will maintain a presence on Pensacola Beach throughout the winter primarily via patrol vehicles, but they will have a presence at the Casino Beach location only after Oct. 16.
Since March 1, Pensacola Beach Lifeguards have performed 90 rescues in guarded areas of the beach and 63 rescues in unguarded areas, along with 415 assists to swimmers experiencing moderate distress in guarded and unguarded areas. Lifeguards also made contact with beach goers more than 93,000 times during the 2016 season, providing information about rip currents, beach condition flags and other safety tips. Residents and visitors are urged to exercise caution when visiting the beach and swimming in the Gulf, especially when lifeguards are not present.
Follow the posted beach condition flag warnings:
- Green Flag - Means “low hazard,” but you should still exercise caution.
- Yellow flag - Indicates “moderate surf and conditions” such as rip currents. Swimmers should exercise careful caution when entering the water.
- Red flag - “Strong currents and high surf," no swimming or wading. Entering the Gulf of Mexico to swim or wade during red flag conditions is illegal in Escambia County.
- Double red flags - Only used during hurricanes and other natural disasters. No swimming, wading or surfing in the Gulf of Mexico. Entering the Gulf of Mexico during double red flag conditions is illegal in Escambia County.
- Purple flag - Indicates “dangerous marine wildlife” may be present. Please use caution when entering the water.
Follow all Pensacola Beach rules, including:
- Glass containers are not allowed on the beach.
- The west side of the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier is an alcohol free zone.
- Open containers are not allowed off the boardwalk or outside any establishment.
- No alcohol can be consumed in any parking lot on Santa Rosa Island.
- Dogs other than service animals are not permitted on the any of the beaches except in designated dog parks. To view complete rules and boundaries for Pensacola Beach dog parks, click here.
For daily flag conditions and more information about Pensacola Beach Lifeguards, visit the
Pensacola Beach Lifeguards page on MyEscambia.com or the
Pensacola Beach Lifeguards Facebook.
