Flagler Beach made it through Hurricane Idalia relatively unscathed, according to city officials.

There was a big concern the storm would cause flooding and beach erosion, exactly what officials did not want after spending years working on beach renourishment projects to fix what damage caused by past hurricanes.

While that did not happen, it did cause some sand on the shoreline to shift and with activity in the Atlantic, experts say they are anticipating waters to be rough at the beach this Labor Day weekend.

Usually after Labor Day, which is the unofficial end of summer, there aren’t lifeguards on the beach during the week. But because of heavy surf conditions, Flagler Beach Ocean Rescue officials are considering extending their lifeguard staffing through next weekend.

High atop the Flagler Beach pier sits Spencer Cover. As captain of Flagler Beach Ocean Rescue, he mans headquarters with a goal of keeping a close eye on beachgoers.

“We are always just scanning," he said. "If we are unsure of somebody, we will look at their face. We will look if they are in distress and we will look at their stroke."

He’s also watching the shoreline, especially after Hurricane Idalia.

“With constant storms passing through, it has the chance to shift around the sand to create different areas in the water where new rip currents can form or rip currents that have already been there can get worse because they can get deeper and so when it is low tide they will pull extra strong,” said Cover. 

Due to shifting sands from the storm and activity in the Atlantic, he is concerned about heavy surf and increased rip current threats heading into the holiday weekend.

“Technically, it is starting on Saturday throughout the weekend, it should continue through Monday and Tuesday," he said. "We will be prepared all weekend, especially with school back in swing it seems most of our crowds will come Saturday and Sunday."

Cover said his crew will spend Labor Day weekend on ATVs.

“We will drive up and down the beach and advise people, ‘Hey, this part of the water looks really rough if you are not a confident swimmer, we advise you not go past ankle deep, knee deep,’” he said. 

If any severe rip currents are detected, Cover said they’ll bring out a lifeguard stand and post guards in those areas. He said he feels confident they’ll get everyone through Labor Day weekend safely.

“With four to six guards, it does make it a little more of a challenge, but with the fewer crowds because of school, we can get by just fine,” he said.

Flagler Beach Ocean Rescue officials said they will check the conditions and make the call on Saturday whether they will continue to have lifeguards on the shoreline through next Friday. They will continue to have lifeguards on the beach every weekend.