Can you dig it?

Build sandcastles on the beach - don't dig holes, are the sentiments of Jean Beasley, the director of The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.

"Digging holes on the beach is a far reaching problem," Beasley said. "We're not just talking about the safety of turtles here; we're talking about people and pets as well."

Beasley referred to the recent incident with a teenager visiting Topsail Beach as a prime example of how dangerous holes on the beach can be.

"We had a teenager trapped up to his chest in a hole he helped dig near the water in Topsail Beach recently - and almost had a real tragedy on our hands," Beasley said. "The water came in and the sand acted like quicksand. The boy was trapped and had to be rescued and taken to the hospital. Thankfully he was okay, but it's a wake-up call, and a prime example of how people just don't understand the dangers and need to be educated."

Reports said Jake Powers, 13, of Newton, Mass., and several of his cousins dug a large hole while vacationing at Topsail Beach, intending for the water to fill it in and they could swim inside the hole.

Powers, standing inside the hole, quickly became buried up to his chest after a few waves caused the sand to cave in on him.

Topsail Beach police and emergency services were called to the scene to rescue Powers, after attempts by family members and others failed.

Beasley said she recently had a close call with a small deep hole in front of her beachfront home in Surf City.

"The same thing that happened to that young man could happen to a child, pet or turtle," Beasley said. "There was a hole in front of my house, and my small dog almost fell into it. He was on a leash, and we were walking, but it was like a cylinder and was only two feet or so in circumference. I measured it and it would have been up to my shoulders deep - I would not have been able to rescue him myself, it was that deep."

Most area beach patrol officers say they spend a lot of time educating people about the ordinances and dangers of digging holes on the beach.

"We don't have an ordinance against digging holes, but we have experienced a lot of problems on our beach patrols, and we are trying to educate people and keep it under control," said Emerald Isle Police Chief Bill Hargett. "We ask them to make sure they fill the holes back up, and the turtle people also help us in educating the tourists too, especially during turtle hatching season. If we get a report of deep holes, we send public works out to fill it in."

Atlantic Beach Lt. Brian Prior said his beach patrol spends time educating the public also.

"We call the holes tank traps," Prior said. "When we're out patrolling we ask them to fill them in and we use it as a safety-educational tool and explain to them how people and wildlife can be hurt by them."

Several beach towns have ordinances against digging holes.

According to North Topsail Beach police, the town's ordinance permits citations to be issued if a hole is dug greater than 12 inches deep and no one is attending to the hole. All holes must be filled in before leaving the beach and no later than 30 minutes prior to sunset.

Surf City's ordinance allows police to issue a citation and $50 fine to anyone found digging a hole as it has a no holes allowed on the beach policy.

Topsail Beach prohibits holes greater than 12 inches deep unless a responsible person attends to the hole at all times. All holes must be filled in prior to leaving the beach and the filled area must be level with and in the same general condition as the surrounding area. Persons 16-years-old or older who abandon a hole are subject to a $25 fine.

Beasley said there have been reports along the Topsail Island beaches recently of holes dug very deep and very wide.

"We had one in Surf City nine feet across and very deep, and another in Topsail Beach seven feet across - it's incredible to me that people actually bring shovels with them!" she said.

"People quite frequently walk the beach at night, myself included, and you can easily break a leg or hip if you don't see it. The challenge is to educate people who don't envision what could happen - they just don't know," she added.

Beasley said the turtle hospital volunteers have been helping educate the public about ordinances on holes.

"These holes are potential death traps to a mama turtle dragging her 450-pound body up the beach to nest, thankfully we have not had any incidents yet this year, but our volunteers have small signs they put on the holes they find when they patrol, which tells the tourists about local laws and helps educate them about digging holes. At this point we really have to count on education and rely on people's sense of responsibilities - it's okay to have fun, but fill in the holes before you leave, and know the dangers," she said.