Effective this weekend, the City of Tybee Island will issue citations to anyone found on the sandbar at the south end of the island, near the crossovers for 18th Street, 19 Street and Chatham Avenue. Citations for beach rule violations carry penalties up to $1,000. Please heed signage in this area warning of significant drowning danger.
It may look like an easy walk over to the sand bar, but the tides turn before beachgoers can reach the other side. Once the tide changes, within minutes strong rip tides can knock an adult off their feet and carry them away in just a few inches of water. Water weighs 65 pounds per cubic foot and can overwhelm even the strongest swimmer. Unfortunately, people drown on the sand bar each year.