Despite Hurricane Erin’s powerful waves and swimming prohibition, the beaches were buzzing with people curious to see the true power of the ocean.
The Delaware beaches were closed to swimmers on Aug. 21, which was a no-brainer because of the washing machine of 6-to-8-foot waves crashing into the areas swimmers typically occupy. Once the morning drizzle let up, people returned to the sand and boardwalks.
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The waves are expected to build to more than 10 feet during the evening of Aug. 21. As of 2:26 p.m., a buoy off Bethany Beach was reading waves at 9.8 feet high.
Beachgoers walked backward on the sand toward the water in Rehoboth Beach, as a stiff northeast wind blew sand all over them. Many took videos, selfies and more, but few stayed on the windswept sand for more than a couple of minutes.
Randy and Vicky Skaradek are from Maryland but have been coming to Rehoboth Beach for 40 years. They’ve had a house in Lewes for 16 years, and were impressed with the waves while they watched from the sand on the afternoon of Aug. 21. They were surprised with the size of the breaking waves offshore.
“This is the biggest I’ve ever seen,” Randy Skaradek said.
A sandpiper contends with hurricane swell in Dewey Beach on Aug. 21, 2025.
Watching over them was Rehoboth Beach lifeguard Rick Svitich, who was on the balcony of the city’s new lifeguard headquarters on the boardwalk. He can see all the way down the beach, and lifeguards would occasionally be dispatched to the beach to whisk overcurious people from testing the water above ankle-height.
He said the swell has already flattened a drop-off on the beach and expected the high tide and building waves during the evening of Aug. 21 to bring the water close to or onto the boardwalk. He expects access to the ocean to remain limited toward the weekend because even though the swell may retreat, the rip current threat will linger.
“I’ll expect them tomorrow, and probably into Saturday, even as the waves start to slow down; there’s just so much water piled up on the beach that we got to let that wind die down and let some of that water get back out,” he said.
He will be watching how high tide affects the beaches in the evening on Aug. 21 and in the morning on Aug. 22. He said Dewey was in more trouble than Rehoboth because of the bayside. Dewey Beach had already seen some high waves, and beach sheds were fortified with sand to limit damage from the expected surge of water.
A beach shed is fortified with sand at low tide in Dewey Beach on Aug. 21, 2025.
There is a coastal flood warning in effect for Sussex County through the evening of Aug. 23. The building swell and howling onshore wind along with the high tide can bring flooding which may “become severe enough to cause structural damage along with widespread roadway flooding in coastal and bayside communities,” according to the National Weather Service.
Do not drive through floods, and be prepared for rising waters if you are near the bay, ocean or a tidal waterway. Flooding is expected to peak the night of Aug. 21.
Shane Brennan covers Wilmington and other Delaware issues. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at slbrennan@delawareonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Hurricane Erin massive swells have Delaware beaches buzzing
