Beach Jobs

Dangerous surf and "life-threatening" rip currents could force more swimmers out of the ocean today as Hurricane Bill continues churning northward in the Atlantic.

Punishing waves and rip currents -- swift channels that can pull swimmers out to sea -- were produced by the storm Saturday, forcing lifeguards to close or restrict swimming at many East Coast beaches including Rehoboth in Delaware and Ocean City in Maryland. And though the hurricane had dropped to a Category 1 storm by Saturday evening, the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that Bill could bring "extremely dangerous surf and ... rip currents to parts of the U.S. East Coast" before reaching Canada.

Every summer hundreds of bicyclists in the Rehoboth Beach area get free safety checks thanks to the efforts of Sussex Cyclists and their partners.

“We call it branding,” says Sussex Cyclists President Tony Pezone. “You can tell those who have stopped by checkpoints by the bright yellow reflective tape on their bikes.”

Many of those who stop are foreign students who are working in the resort area for the summer. Although some have bikes in good working order, many pull into the checkpoints missing brakes, with flat tires, no lights, no reflectors, bent frames, and loose seats and handlebars.

The Lighthouse’s “Taco Toss” happy hour, with its $1 tacos, nachos and hot dogs, is the first stop for plenty of weekend warriors who call Dewey home every summer weekend.

As always, it’s an eclectic mix on the bar’s deck as the sun sets on Rehoboth Bay.

Young men wearing T-shirts like one that reads “I’d hit that” under an image of a pinata try to pick up women while taking slugs from a can of Bud Light.