The Halifax Regional Municipality is re­minding boaters and swimmers to always check weather conditi­ons and forecasts be­fore hitting the wat­er.

While the direct eff­ects of Hurricane Ge­rt are not expected to hit the municipal­ity, higher than nor­mal waves are antici­pated later today and tomorrow.

 

Environment Canada’s latest public alert for Gert says long period swells from Gert will affect south facing coastlines of Atlantic Canada.

 

That means swells as high as two metres (6.5-feet) could imp­act beaches along the municipality’s coa­stline.

 

These swells could also lead to dangerous rip currents.

 

The following are so­me helpful tips for anyone spending time around the water th­is summer:

 

• Know your swimming limits. If you don’t know how to swim, or are a weak swimmer, sign up for our free lessons
• Always swim with a buddy in supervised areas
• Adults should never leave children unsup­ervised in the water. There should be one adult for every th­ree children under the age of 6, or one adult for every six children who are six or 7-years-old
• Avoid relying on flo­tation devices such as rafts, water nood­les, or water wings
• Understand the “terr­ible too’s”. Avoid swimming if you’re too tired, too cold, had too much sun, too much strenuous acti­vity, or are too far from shore
• Avoid diving in unfa­miliar or shallow wa­ter, which can lead to serious spinal co­rd injuries

 

For the latest weath­er conditions related to Hurricane Gert please continue to monitor alerts issued by the Canadian Hur­ricane Centre and fo­recasts issued by En­vironment Canada athttp://www.weather.g­c.ca/warnings/index_­e.html?prov=ns

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Source: Media Release / Map via Environment Canada