Ocean City Beach Patrol Rescue 

The flags used by Ocean City lifeguards are dual-purpose. They use them to communicate using visual signals to each other. But they also use them to signal swimmers when they are in potential danger. If you hear a blast from the lifeguard's whistle, and you are swimming in the ocean, look toward the lifeguard. If he's signaling to you, you'll be able to tell. It's a very generic "move this way" motion of the flags or hands. The "dos and donts" are printed on the back of every lifeguard stand, at many beach entrances on signs, and on the OCBP's website. And if you really want to learn the signals they use to communicate with each other, just google "semaphore"

First, the information about do's and don'ts is on the back of every lifeguard stand. Second, the two orange flags you see them moving intentionally is semaphore, typically used by the Navy to signal other ships without using radios that may be compromised. It's spelling out each letter of whatever it is they are saying - usually letting the next guard know that there's a missing child, that they see someone in a rip current that will likely need to be rescued, or if there is an alert like a storm coming or even if a "big fish" has been spotted. Having all 150 guards trying to communicate on the same radio frequency would be nuts, so only the Crew Chief has a radio for contacting dispatch. If you're a former guard like I am and still remember your semaphore, you'll occasionally catch something a little less focused on the job being talked about, and that usually ends in a motion where they are moving both flags up and down by their right hip. That's the letters H and A and so it's HA HA HA HA. The more you know. 😀