Hurricane Cristobal prompts rip current warnings at Jersey shore

SEASIDE PARK, N.J. (WPVI) -- Wednesday was a red flag day at beaches up and down the Jersey coast.

Hurricane Cristobal may be tracking hundreds of miles off shore, but it's creating treacherous rip currents here.

"Today is probably the trickiest I've ever seen it because it's a very strong undertow. I can see why the lifeguards are really paying attention cause in a second you could be dragged out," Ernie Kostner of Yardley, Pa. said.

"I am terrified. We usually go in so we can ride the waves, but we didn't do that today because of the rip currents," Zina Van Rensalier of Paterson, NJ said.

The dangerous rip currents will increase today and Thursday which is why lifeguards are restricting bathers to knee-high water.

"If they are caught in a rip current, they're going to shoot out very fast. We are going to get there very fast because everybody's heading in the same direction. Where it becomes an issue is pulling everybody back in," Lt. Troy Van Hise of the Seaside Heights Beach Patrol said.

Over the last several days, lifeguards along the shore have had to rescue dozens of swimmers.

The ocean is so rough a body surfer in Bradley Beach broke his arm after being pounded by waves.

"It's pretty rough. You have to be careful. It's moving around a lot and you've got to be careful," Frank Staiti of Staten Island, NY said.

Lifeguards aren't the only ones on alert. Parents whose children do go swimming are either holding their hands or watching like a hawk.

"They are saying that you can't go above your knee because it's really just rough out there. We have three kids with us so we're just making sure they are not getting swept away," Kim Mele of Roxbury, NJ said.