VIRGINIA BEACH -- A nice breeze late Friday takes the edge off of some of the heat people at the Oceanfront feel, but for some, the edge could be a little bit bigger.
"Our hotel is all the way down the street, so we just had to trudge on up here, and it was pretty bad," says Traci Watkins who is visiting the area from Washington, DC.
"It was about four or five blocks," describes Watkins' friend, Felisha Tankard, "long blocks, and we were trudging. I started breaking a sweat, but I knew, I said, my goal is to get to this beach."
The friends rewarded themselves with some ice cream, one of many ways, no doubt, that people will look to stay cool during what promises to be the hottest weekend in Hampton Roads so far this summer.
"Anybody that's gonna be out all day, no matter where they are in this kind of heat, is gonna have issues," notes Captain Tom Gill of Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service.
Gill tells 13News four people had to be taken away from the Oceanfront Friday to be treated for heat-related problems.
He says some lifeguards have noticed the drain high temperatures have put on them. This time of the season tends to bring a few more sick calls than other periods.
"Love everybody that wants to come to work every day, but, at some point, there's gotta be some time out of the heat, out of the sun, into the air conditioning for a day," Gill tells 13News. "Our job is to be 'on' the entire time we're on shift."
Lifeguard supervisors are particularly cognizant of the stress heat can put on the body, which is why, Gill says, they make sure lifeguards stay hydrated and get a break if they need one.
"This, for us, is very cool. I mean, really, it's nice," Elizabeth Quilici says.
A Nevada native, Quilici has lived in Saudi Arabia for the past 25 years.
"The water temperature here is actually cool," says Quilici. "My husband and son are swimming, but it's really, it's cool for them. They're freezing."
Visitors to the beach may pop into the ocean from time to time to cool down, but Gill reminds everyone the Atlantic is a body of saltwater which dehydrates. The cooling effect lasts for a short period of time, and, he says, you really haven't done anything to hydrate yourself. He offers visitors the advice the lifeguards get: Treat any prolonged stretch at the Oceanfront like it's a sporting event.
"If you were going to the soccer game, you'd pack a cooler with healthy stuff, and waters, and maybe a Gatorade here and there," Gill says. "Keep your body replenished for all the fluids, and electrolytes and things like that."
