Visitors at Siesta Beach not concerned about weather

Waking up to a surprise tropical storm kept many people away from Siesta Beach — as evident by the blissfully empty public parking lots — but some tourists weren’t deterred from going anyway. With waves crashing and wind whipping through their hair, a handful of people walked the beach and dipped their toes in the surprisingly warm water after the morning’s rain subsided.

“We wanted to see Siesta Key, and we didn’t care whether there’s a storm or not because it’s the only chance we have to go here,” said Peter Czarmikau, a German visitor leading a group of more than 50 teenagers on a two-week summer trip.

His group spilled out of several vans and trekked across the beach in a line before fanning out around the lifeguard station, with a big pile of backpacks at their center. They mostly remained dressed as they wandered on the wet sand.

“We would let them in the water, because it’s exactly the water we’d like to have,” Czarmikau said, “but the lifeguard told us to go no more than ankle deep.... In Europe, we would like that weather and jump in as much as possible, and nobody would care.”

Mark Miller, a lifeguard of about nine years, said a big concern with weather like Tropical Storm Emily is rip currents. That’s why the beach had no-swim flags up on July 31.

“Nobody knew that we were going to have [this storm], it just came out of nowhere. So I think you have — there’s lots of people that were planning on coming to the beach.”

Miller said a big challenge for lifeguards is that people look at the water and think it’s not so bad. Many rescues are made on days like this off the public beaches, when people though it was safe to swim but end up needing help.

“If you’re in doubt at all about your swimming abilities, or anyone in the family’s swimming abilities, always swim near a lifeguard. Go to a publicly guarded beach. And then pay attention to the flags that we’re flying.”

Joe Apple and his family travelled from Greenville, South Carolina. Apple said they holed up all day, but when the rain stopped they headed to the beach to wrap up their vacation.

While the family stayed out of the water, his two daughters, Isadora, 7, and Mirabel, 5, ran in circles around their parents, picked up sea shells and drew lines in the sand.

“We’re making the best of it,” he said. “Even though it hasn’t been the best weather, we’re having a great time.”