Menu
While Vacationing on Tybee Island please follow our Tybee beach rules, marine debris guide, warning flag system and riptide charts.
Walking out on the sand bars is extremely dangerous! The sand bars on the south end of Tybee leading to Little Tybee look deceptively easy to walk on and explore. However, the rip tides are extremely fast and strong, they can take out a strong, adult swimmer within minutes. Tybee Island averages one drowning/year.
PLEASE, for your safety and the safety of the lifeguards who protect you, please follow our Tybee Beach Rules and DO NOT venture out onto the sand bars.
Tybee Island beaches are subject to extreme rip currents. The longshore current runs parallel along the eastern seaboard, formed by wind and wave energy crashing and distributing energy along the shoreline. Rip currents are common on the north and south ends of the island, where rushing currents enter and exit the Savannah and Wilmington Rivers. These tidal currents violently collide with the longshore current, generating turbulent water movement. Small rip currents can also occur on the face of the beach during low tide. Strong sweeping currents flow between breaks in shallow sand bars creating dangerous swimming conditions. – Info via Tybee Marine Science Center
Certain areas have been designated and marked as “hazardous areas” because of conditions which create a threat to the safety and welfare of boaters who may operate in such areas. When operating within a “hazardous area”, all passengers in a boat must wear a U. S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device, properly fitted and fastened.
For More Information on Tybee Beach Rules please visit:
City of Tybee
Georgia DNR
When trash reaches the ocean, it is very harmful to the creatures there, due to entanglement and ingestion. They get entangled in plastic 6-pack rings, discarded fishing line, packing straps, and abandoned nets. These objects constrict the animal’s growth, restrict their movement so they become easy prey, and cause sea reptiles and mammals to drown. Sea turtles love to eat jellyfish, so when they mistakenly eat a plastic bag or a balloon, it causes problems with their digestive systems that often leads to death. Since plastic eventually breaks down into tiny pieces, even small marine organisms are ingesting plastic. We humans enjoy eating fish, shrimp, and other ocean delicacies, but we don’t want a side of plastic included in our meal!
