Just outside East Agana Bay, the winds and seas in our region are expected to pick up from now into Sunday.

Officials warn that if you are not a strong swimmer to stay out of the water.

"In our job we see some horrendous things," Firefighter Andy Lee said.

He's with the Guam Fire Department's Search and Rescue Bureau. If you call 911 for an emergency out in the water, chances are, it’s his crew responding. This year, the team responded to more than a handful of calls that ended in tragedy.

"It breaks the heart when this island is so small and it can be a friend, it can be a family member," Lee said.

In 2021, first responders recorded three drownings. So far, this year - that number has nearly tripled – now at eight confirmed drownings.

The response is part of the job. The survival of both them and the distressed swimmer is the mission.

KUAM News joined the rescue team getting involved in each training scenario.

"In Guam, it’s very, very different from the stateside. We have coral reefs and the rip currents can change every six hours here based on the tide," Lee said. "So depending on which side of the island you are on, the usual thing people tell you is to swim laterally from the rip current. On the west side of the island, that can happen, and that is something that can help you especially because of the distance from the shore to the reef. But on the east side, that distance is very short, it’s 20 to 100 feet before you are actually in the danger zones, which is the breakers, the waves."

He adds it’s best to stay calm and let the rip current take you out to safer waters.

"Don’t try to fight it because fatigue and panic is the number one killer," Lee said. "Never go out on your own. Don’t be out there by yourself. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced swimmer or not. Anything can happen."

It's a lesson and a reminder to stay prepared when heading out for a swim in Guam’s waters.