Lifeguards have rescued dozens of people from thechurning waters along East Coast beacheseven asHurricane Erinmoves hundreds of miles offshore. Officials in North Carolina said at least 60 people had to be rescued from rip currents at Wrightsville Beach, prompting a no-swim order in place through the rest of the week, according to reporting from theWilmington Star-News, part of the USA TODAY Network. At least a dozen other people were rescued from rip currents at South Carolina and Georgia beaches on Aug. 18, the National Weather Service in Charleston, South Carolina,said. Erin has made conditions prime along East Coast beaches for life-threatening rip currents that can catch people off guard, National Hurricane Center Director Mike Brennan said in a news briefing over the weekend. Weather conditions might look ideal for a beach trip, but rip currents can be a hard-to-spot danger lurking for swimmers. The threat exists up and down the entire East Coast, hurricane forecasters said. Beachesas far north as Massachusettsare closed to swimmers due to rough surf. In Atlantic City, New Jersey,officials saidbeachgoers were restricted to getting knee-deep into the water and were prohibited from using boogie boards. "The force of the rip currents and rough surf along the Atlantic coast this week is life-threatening. Hurricane Erin is producing a tremendous amount of energy that will create hazardous beach conditions from Florida to New England," said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva. Brennan urged beachgoers to heed posted warnings and beach closures and only swim close to lifeguards. "Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water," the National Weather Service in Charleston said in a rip current statement warning South Carolina and Georgia beaches of the danger on Aug. 19. Rip currents kill dozens in the United States every year, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Administration. Since 2010, more than 800 people have died in rip current drownings. As of late July, at least 52 people died from surf-zone dangers, nearly half of which were rip current drownings, the data shows. A rip current is afast-moving channel of water that flows away from the shoreand can drag a swimmer way out into the ocean. The narrow, strong currents flow quickly and perpendicular to the coastline. Rip currents are so dangerous because they can catch a swimmer off guard and cause them to panic while trying to swim to shore. The exertion causes fatigue before they are able to break free from the current, which continues to pull them out, experts say. Officials say you should always check for any warnings before entering the water at a beach and keep an eye on weather and water conditions. Always swim near a lifeguard. If you do end up caught in a rip current,try to remain calm. The current won't pull you under, it will just pull you away from the shore. Don't swim against the current, because you'll risk tiring yourself out; instead, swim parallel to the shore and then swim back to land at an angle once you're free of the rip current. If you see someone else struggling in a rip current, you should try to get help from a lifeguard, according to the NOAA'sRip Current Survival Guide. You can also throw something that floats to the person who needs help while you find a lifeguard. If there is no lifeguard on duty, call 911. Do not enter the water to try to help; experts say people who try to help often get caught in rip currents themselves. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Hurricane Erin leads to dozens of water rescues from rip currents