BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- Police are urging people to stay off the beach as curious sightseers begin to gather to look at the ever increasing surf.
In Boynton Beach Saturday afternoon the waves are large and getting larger. And that is why police officers are canvassing the beaches and ordering people to clear the area and the barrier islands.
“To give you an idea… this morning the waves were probably two to three feet, and you can see now looking out here… some waves are in excess of 10 feet," Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins said.
“The last thing we want to do is endanger others having to go into full rescue mode for someone who is unfortunately washed out in a wave. I know people want to go out to the beach. It's just not a safe environment right now.”
Mitch Teager from Fort Lauderdale couldn't resist seeing the waves for himself. “It’s pretty incredible, I’m into weather…so I like coming down on the beach and seeing this. Of course we’ll get out before it gets dangerous. But you know, Mother Nature is just a force .. and you can feel what this is like, so you can imagine what they’re gonna get on the west coast, it’s just a sad thing."
"That's the unpredictableness of Mother Nature, so we could still get hit... you don't know, but I'd rather be at my home to hunker it out than out on the roads, so i'm glad we stayed," said Abby Boburka of Delray Beach.
"Don't take it for granted... be smart, be proactive and when it's time to get in for sure, get in," said Molly Stafford of Boynton Beach.
Police officers say they are enforcing the curfew for Palm Beach County which started at 3 p.m. They say people who do not follow the curfew orders are subject to arrest.
