Dangerous NJ Swimming: Here's Where You Should Stay Out Of Water

NEW JERSEY – Swimming conditions were dangerous in New Jersey on Monday, forecasters say, and here was what they were saying about the ocean water on Monday:

Stay out of it. The conditions were bad enough that one person almost drowned this weekend.

Strong winds were causing dangerous rip currents throughout the Jersey Shore, and the National Weather Service issued an alert for Atlantic, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties. The rip current advisory was in effect until Monday evening.

The National Weather Service says you should stay out of the surf. That means stay out of the water.

Some beaches, such as Belmar and Beach Haven, were placing severe restrictions on swimming, either telling people to go in no more than ankle-deep or avoid the water entirely. Read more: Beach Haven Swimming Prohibited Sunday Due To Strong Rip Currents

"Beach Haven Lifeguards advise that SWIMMING IS PROHIBITED, today, Mon. 8/26/19. There is a high risk of rip currents. The ocean is unsafe!" the town's advisory said.

A man nearly fatally drowned while swimming at a bayside beach at Gateway National Park/Sandy Hook on Sunday, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service confirmed. Read more: Man Nearly Drowns At Sandy Hook Sunday

The NWS says the rip currents were not connected to the tropical disturbances brewing in the Atlantic Ocean this week.

So if you are in the water, and you're caught in a rip current, relax and float. Do not swim against the current, the NWS says.

If possible, swim in a direction following the shoreline, the NWS says. If you're unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.

No beaches were having trouble with bacteria on Monday – despite the fact that eight beaches along the Jersey Shore have struggled to stay open this summer for that reason.

One of the beaches – the 5th Avenue bayfront beach in Seaside Park – was placed under an advisory on last week after the state Department of Environmental Protection discovered an unsafe level of fecal bacteria.

The beach was close to being closed because of "unsafe" levels of bacteria found in animal and human waste, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Some of the harmful effects of Enterococci, the bacteria found in animal and human waste, include infections that cause fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Read more: 8 NJ Beaches Struggle To Say Open Because Of Bacteria, Discharge