 |
|
|
September 15, 2009
Outer Banks Angling: Watch what you are doing when driving the beach
By ROB ALDERMAN 
But be on guard. These beaches can get ugly quickly -- with high water and quicksand-like conditions. Season after season, visitors and locals alike underestimate just how fast they can get into trouble with their vehicles. High water, and sometimes those misjudgments, can cost them into the thousands of dollars, and the damage done to their vehicles is irreversible. The poor individual who owned the truck in the photo accompanying this column decided not to follow the vehicle in front of him, and that cost him dearly. The owner had just paid the vehicle off 30 days earlier. The vehicle in front of the unfortunate driver followed the high ridgeline, where the ground was at its hardest, while the Dodge went just far enough to the right of that to ruin his vacation. Jarvis Williams of Cape Point Exxon had to call for a frontend loader to assist with the removal of this vehicle. And it was just one of several vehicles ruined over a three-day period last week as a low pressure hung out off the coast and sent heavy seas and higher than normal tides onto seashore beaches. I am sure it will not be the last ruined vehicle this season. However, there are some actions you can take to reduce your chances of facing this kind of disaster. If you are parked in an area that has become surrounded by water during the incoming tide, it may be best to wait the tide out or walk the potential path you are considering driving prior to actually doing it. If a vehicle drives through a questionable area ahead of you and makes it through, then you need to follow the exact path that driver did to help ensure you make it. Straying out of line by a couple feet can result in a very bad day. Always take into account the size and weight of your vehicle. Just because one vehicle made it through a suspect area doesn't mean your vehicle will. Sometimes these situations arise without your ever noticing, because they have happened somewhere in the path you need to take to leave the beach -- and sometimes they happen before you ever go out. If the water rises before you go out, then rather than trying to make it to that potential fish bite, you might want to just wait it out. Whatever you do, please make sure to watch what is going on and think long and hard before you make a decision to drive through water on the beach. FOR MORE INFORMATION The National Park Service has prepared a brochure on the rules and regulations for ORV operation on Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches and tips on safe beach driving. To read or download the brochure, click here. |
|
  |
|
|
|