Damon Point, a popular spit of land at the southern tip of the peninsula on which the city of Ocean Shores lies, has been closed since Jan. 27 and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

It is quickly becoming “Damon Island” due to Mother Nature’s relentless pounding of the shoreline. In recent months, people have been ignoring the warnings and braving the treacherous, fast moving cold water. Social media chatter indicates that the warnings are not reaching everyone.

Now, the Department of Natural Resources, the agency that owns Damon Point, has joined the city of Ocean Shores and the Ocean Shores Police Department with warnings of their own.

In a post on its official Facebook page, the Department of Natural Resources said, “A rising tide may lift all boats, but it’s also cutting off access to Damon Point. That makes it easy to get stranded out there, and it’s why we regrettably have closed access. Ocean Shores officials have already had to rescue stranded adventurers from Damon Point as it is trying out life as an island for a bit.

“So if you’re heading out to the shore, please keep yourself and our emergency responders safe and visit one of our state’s many other iconic beaches.”

Ocean Shores Police Chief Necci Logan made an impassioned plea at the April 8 city council meeting and implored people to stay away from Damon Point.

“I understand that Damon Point is an attraction for residents and tourists alike, but there are two issues going on with it that I need to address,” Chief Logan said. “Number one is that people are not understanding that Damon Point is becoming an island. The water has its own plans for it and there is nothing we can do about it. … If a rescue is going to take place it not only puts the safety of the person being rescued at risk, it also puts the safety of the rescuer at risk. The second issue at hand is the fact that the only way Damon Point can be accessed anymore is by trespassing. Whether you’re trespassing on the berm or across the Quinault RV Park property, you have to willfully commit the crime of trespassing to get there.”

Chief Logan went on to reiterate that trespassers will be prosecuted and that the authorities will seek restitution for any rescue operations.

On April 11, the Ocean Shores Police Department posted a video on its official Facebook page illustrating the dangers of the conditions at Damon Point.

The post read, in part, “if you are trapped out there it is now impossible to get back without a rescue operation even on a calm, placid, sunny day with little to no wind. The environment has become extremely dangerous.”

Perhaps City Administrator Scott Andersen summed up the warnings and admonitions best, “Someday, someone is going to die out there.”