Holes can be a hazard

It's OK to build sandcastles on the beach. Digging holes? Not so much, according to Jean Beasley, the director of The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.

"Digging holes on the beach is a far-reaching problem," Beasley said. "We're not just talking about the safety of turtles here; we're talking about people and pets as well."

Beasley said a teenager visiting Topsail Beach was recently trapped up to his chest in a hole he helped dig.

"The water came in and the sand acted like quicksand. The boy was trapped and had to be rescued and taken to the hospital," she said. "Thankfully he was OK, but it's a wake-up call and a prime example of how people just don't understand the dangers and need to be educated."

Jake Powers, 13, of Newton, Mass., and several of his cousins dug the hole for a makeshift swimming pool, according to reports. Jake, who was standing inside the hole, quickly became buried up to his chest after a few waves caused the sand to cave in on him. Topsail Beach police and emergency services rescued Jake after attempts by family members and others failed.

Beasley said she also had a close call with a small deep hole in front of her beachfront home in Surf City.

"There was a hole in front of my house, and my small dog almost fell into it," she said. "He was on a leash, and we were walking, but it was like a cylinder and was only 2 feet or so in circumference. I measured it and it would have been up to my shoulders deep - I would not have been able to rescue him myself, it was that deep."

Most area beach patrol officers say they spend a lot of time educating people about the dangers of digging holes on the beach.

"We don't have an ordinance against digging holes, but we have experienced a lot of problems on our beach patrols, and we are trying to educate people and keep it under control," said Emerald Isle Police Chief Bill Hargett. "We ask them to make sure they fill the holes back up, and the turtle people also help us in educating the tourists too, especially during turtle hatching season. If we get a report of deep holes, we send public works out to fill it in."

Atlantic Beach Lt. Brian Prior said his beach patrol calls the holes "tank traps."

"When we're out patrolling we ask them to fill them in and we use it as a safety-educational tool and explain to them how people and wildlife can be hurt by them," he said.

Several beach towns have even enacted ordinances that regulate hole digging.

According to North Topsail Beach police, the town's ordinance permits citations to be issued if a hole is dug greater than 12 inches deep and left unattended. All holes must be filled in by the diggers before leaving the beach and no later than 30 minutes prior to sunset.

Surf City's ordinance allows police to issue a citation and $50 fine to anyone found digging any hole as it has a no-holes allowed on the beach policy.

Topsail Beach prohibits holes greater than 12 inches deep unless a responsible person attends to the hole at all times. All holes must be filled in prior to leaving the beach and the filled area must be level with and in the same general condition as the surrounding area. Those age 16 or older who abandon a hole are subject to a $25 fine.

Beasley said there have been reports along the Topsail Island beaches recently of holes dug very deep and very wide.

"We had one in Surf City nine feet across and very deep, and another in Topsail Beach seven feet across - it's incredible to me that people actually bring shovels with them!" she said. "People quite frequently walk the beach at night, myself included, and you can easily break a leg or hip if you don't see it. The challenge is to educate people who don't envision what could happen. They just don't know."

Contact Topsail area reporter Suzanne Ulbrich at sulbrich@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8466. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.