Here’s why the City of Myrtle Beach has shut down swimming in the ocean today

The City of Myrtle Beach has banned all swimming in the ocean within city limits for the rest of the day Saturday, according to Lt. Jon Evans with the Myrtle Beach Fire Department.

Myrtle Beach has gone double red flag, which means “no one should swim due to extreme conditions,” according to a MBFD Instagram post. Evans said there’s a “pretty severe longshore current north to south that’s caused a few incidents,” leading to the city manager’s decision to halt swimming for the rest of the day.

Lifeguards and ocean rescue personnel will be monitoring the water to make sure no one puts themselves in danger, Evans said.

“Please help us by staying out of the water today!” the MBFD’s Instagram post said.

This story was originally published August 25, 2018 at 3:14 PM.