Surf and waves high as Hurricane Bill passes by

Hurricane Bill may not have made landfall in the U.S., but he sure made his presence felt at area beaches this weekend.

High waves and surf were spun onto our shores from the storm that passed roughly four hundred miles east of the Carolinas. Wave heights peaked at over ten feet Saturday and combined with rip currents to create conditions that were far too dangerous for swimming.

In fact, the surf was rough enough that some New Hanover County beaches, including Fort Fisher, decided to keep swimmers out of the water.

In Wrightsville Beach, ocean patrol was kept busy rescuing sixty-five people from the surf, including twenty-two people from one rip current alone. One swimmer was taken to the hospital, but is expected to be fine.

A town ordinance allows officials to strongly discourage, but not prevent swimmers from entering the water. As of Sunday afternoon, no fatalities were reported from the weekend's swells.