GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) — Red flags were up again Monday warning of the dangerous surf conditions along Alabama beaches. Lifeguards are warning people to stay out of the water after performing 35 rescues since Friday. 20 of them were on Sunday along a stretch of West Beach known for strong rip currents.

Surf conditions have been dangerous all weekend but especially between 8th and 10th streets on West Beach where the beach has eroded making the rip currents even stronger.

Beach Safety Director and head lifeguard Joethan Phillips says several people were hospitalized over the weekend after being pulled from the water. No one drowned but he says it could have been a different story.

“It was one or two swimmers for most of the groups and then people swam in after them,” said Phillips. “So, we want to make sure that we are not going in after people. We always want the professionals to do that and understand that people do that because that is a normal human reaction that they have and that turns that into a bigger situation than it could have been.”

Just before 2:00 p.m. Monday afternoon, lifeguards on West Beach got their first swimmer in distress call. That person was pulled from the water, taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay.

Lifeguards say in conditions like this, knee-deep is too deep. Dangerous surf conditions are expected to last till mid-week.