Beach Safety: The Town maintains lifeguard stations at five locations throughout the summer. These locations include:
- Sprigtail Drive
- Barrier Island Station
- Schooner Ridge Drive
- Four Seasons
- Plover Drive
Lifeguards also patrol our beaches on ATV's. Lifeguards are on duty from 10 a.m. to dusk between May 1 and October 1.
Beach Access: There is no public beach access within the Town of Duck. Access to our Town beaches is limited to residents, renters, and their guests.
Ocean Swimming: Please heed words of caution, advisories, and/or the flying of red (no swimming) flags as they are issued for your safety. Although the Atlantic Ocean may be inviting and look calm, be alert as conditions can change rapidly and there is constant motion beneath the surface.
Take a few precautions before swimming:
- Swim Near A Lifeguard!
- Never swim alone.
- Wait for at least a dozen waves to break, and decide if any one of them are bigger than you would want to ride.
- Non-swimming companions should stay in the sand well above the watermark caused by the biggest wave. Wave wash is deceptively strong and anyone playing in it should be able to swim long enough to await rescue.
- Look for rip currents and strong shore breaks.
- If you have been drinking alcohol stay out of the water. Alcohol can impair your judgment, breathing, coordination, and swimming ability.
- In an electrical storm, give yourself plenty of time to leave the beach and find shelter. Storms approach quickly.
- Do not use flotation devices or rafts as substitutes for swimming ability. Southwesterly winds can push them far from shore.
Rip Currents: Strong rip currents can start very near the beach and carry you into deep water in seconds. They are caused by a slight depression in the beach between breaking waves. The returning water will head for the depression and soon become a dangerously strong seaward flow. Rip currents can also be caused by a set or a drift being turned seaward by a pier, jetty, or protrusion of land.
If you are caught in a rip, do NOT try and swim straight back to sure. Swim parallel to shore until you feel the current weaken or let the current take you out until it weakens. Then swim back to shore at a 45-degree angle.
Beach Markers: The Town has installed markers at various points along our beaches. These markers are designed to assist beach goers in determining where they as they are enjoying our beaches, giving directions, or during the event an an emergency.
Dune Crossovers: Please utilize the designated dune crossovers to access our beaches. These are in place to preserve are dune system and our beaches. The dunes offer our community the first line of defense against wave action.
Driving on the Beach: Vehicles are NOT permitted on our beaches between May 1 and September 30.
Vehicles are permitted during the other months of the year using designated PRIVATE vehicular access points. There are no PUBLIC access points for vehicles within the Town.
Driving on the dunes is prohibited at all times!
Personal Watercraft: The landing and launching of personal watercraft is prohibited on the Town's beaches.
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