Reporter: Hunter Walterman
•7/20/2026
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (WINK)—The National Weather Service issued a high-risk rip tide statement for some Southwest Florida beaches as a tropical depression creates choppy waves in the Gulf.
The statement is in effect through 8:00 p.m. Monday for Lee, Charlotte, and Sarasota counties, extending north through Tampa. Rip currents are powerful channels of water that flow quickly away from shore, according to the NWS. They commonly happen at low spots or breaks in the sandbar.
"If you become caught in a rip current, yell for help," the NWS said. "Remain calm, do not exhaust yourself and stay afloat while waiting for help."
If you have to swim out of a rip current, the NWS said you should swim parallel to shore and back toward the beach. It said you should not swim directly against a current to avoid exhaustion.
The rough waves didn't stop people from heading to Fort Myers Beach on Sunday. Several tourists told WINK News they weren't aware of the rip tide advisory.
"The water's kind of wavy, but it feels really good with the sun," said Jennifer Slone, visiting from southern Kentucky. "And it's been really nice out here."
Marlee and Christopher Moos are on a week-long trip from Denver. The couple said they had fun in the water.
"It's beautiful," Marlee said. "Not bad. I mean, we were able to go far out and play in it."
Locals were a little more cautious.
"[That] don't look like the water that I'd want to be in right now, especially with the waves coming in," said Frank Goetzinger of Cape Coral. "There are people out in the water, though. I'm surprised. Not me."
