Tourists getting trapped after wandering onto remote North Carolina island, rangers say

CAPE LOOKOUT, N.C. – Park rangers in North Carolina warn that while the converging currents at the southern tip of Cape Lookout are stunning, they should be observed from a distance.

Recently, a gap between Shark Island and Cape Lookout has begun to connect with a narrow bar of sand during the lowest of low tides, officials at Cape Lookout National Seashore said.

“In the last two weeks, we have had two separate incidents of visitors crossing to Shark Island at low tide and becoming trapped as the tide rises behind them,” park rangers said online.

SEE IT: TOOTH OF LARGEST SHARK THAT EVER LIVED WASHES ASHORE IN NORTH CAROLINA

As a result, multiple law enforcement agencies have had to dispatch first responders to use intricate rescues to save the trapped people.

In addition to the risk of entrapment, the waters south of Cape Lookout can be incredibly dangerous due to shifting and converging currents, park rangers said. Traveling on foot through this narrow sandbar, park rangers said, could result in getting swept away by a rising tide.

   

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