OCEAN CITY, N.J -- . So much for a perfect finale to the summer vacation season.
On beaches from Maryland to New Jersey, rip currents and strong swells in the Atlantic Ocean associated with Hurricane Danielle meant another day of swimming restrictions Monday.
It could get worse. A second hurricane, Earl, battered Puerto Rico on Monday and is expected to zip up the East Coast, bringing at least more rough seas, and possibly tropical storm conditions, including heavy rain and strong wind to some areas just in time for Labor Day weekend.
Earl is expected to pass off the coast of North Carolina on Thursday and continue parallel to land, passing by Maine on Saturday.
National Hurricane Center maps show a chance that it could hit land anywhere from North Carolina through New England.
On Monday, swimmers on the guarded beach of the family resort of Ocean City, N.J., were being told not to go into the water beyond waist-deep. Violent waves pounded the beach. That was an improvement over the weekend's conditions, when lifeguards in shore communities in New Jersey pulled out scores of struggling swimmers.
On Saturday, it was so rough that even surf schools scrapped their lessons. Though Sunday was a bit better, boogie boards were still barred.
Not that beachgoers like 10-year-old Maggie DiInnocenzo, from Gilbertsville, Pa., were excited to try to ride the waves. "When you try to swim on your boogie board, you hit your head on the ground," she said.
Her father, Gregg, keeping a watchful eye from his chair on the sand had two words he repeated every time she thought she'd venture into the water: "Be careful."
Officials and life guards were saying the same thing.
