For the fourth year in a row, the Rehoboth Beach Patrol is reporting fewer medical incidents on the beach, but the number of serious injuries requiring a backboard remains high.

In the 2008 summer season, from May 24 through Sept. 21, the patrol is reporting 518 medical incidents. The top-three cases were wound care, 333; splinters, 48; and bone/joint injuries, 47.

Capt. Kent Buckson said there was no specific reason for the decrease in injuries, but he thought one factor could be the effects from the last beach replenishment were not as severe. Buckson said visitors might also be better educated about the beach conditions.

Injuries on the beach went up dramatically in 2005 after the replenishment. Before the 2005 replenishment, the city did not have more than 12 spinal injuries a year; however, after the replenishment, the city has never had fewer than 17.

Splinter cases increased this year, but Buckson said those cases should go down when the city undertakes its Boardwalk reconstruction project.

Other statistics from this summer include 25 spinal injuries, 117 beach responses and 345 lost children. While the number of missing children may seem high, it is 82 fewer than the 427 lost children last year. There were seven beach evacuations this year due to storms or lightning.

On the issue of spinal injuries, because of the replenishment, the surf line is full of stones, which Buckson said was a recipe for injuries. He said something must be done to eliminate the gravel because it was not a safe or pleasant environment for beachgoers.

Buckson said the surf this year varied between calm and rough all year. The most notable rough surf, he said, was in June when Hurricane Hanna came through and brought two weeks of strong rip currents and assorted injuries.

Membership in the Junior Lifeguard program was about 10 percent less than 2007, with 180 this year compared to 200 last year. Until this year, Junior Lifeguard membership increased every year since 2002.

Buckson said this summer was just as packed with visitors as 2007. One visitor that hasn’t been a big factor the past two or three years, he said, were jellyfish. Buckson said he noticed jellyfish populations going down during the beach replenishment, to the point that now they are almost nonexistent.

“For the past few years, they haven’t been a problem,” he said.