With Hurricane Jose heading north, New Yorkers are advised to stay away from beach waters, because of strong rip currents.

The National Weather Service on Saturday morning issued a high rip current risk for the area.

Officials said the currents are affecting all Atlantic Ocean beaches, becoming worse late in the day. Surf height is expected to be 3 to 5 feet.

The National Weather Service advises that if you are caught in a rip current, do not swim against the current. Instead, swim in a direction following the shoreline, if you can.

If you cannot escape a current, officials advise facing the shore and call or wave for help.

However, lifeguards are not on duty this time of year at city beaches, so New Yorkers are warned to stay out of the waters.

Despite the warnings, some New Yorkers are heading to the beach to catch the surf.

"The conditions are pretty fun today," said Mike Reinhardt, the owner of Locals Surf School in Queens. "It's what we call the forerunners of a swell. As the storm systems tracks up the coast, the waves will start to slowly filter in, and we're seeing the beginnings of that right now."

"It's always nice in September, October when the hurricane swell comes through," said a surfer.

We are closely watching Hurricane Jose, which is churning in the Atlantic as a Category 1 hurricane, east of Florida.

The worst of the storm should stay off shore of the city, but some outer bands could reach the city Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing periods of rain and gusty winds.

Stay connected on all the latest weather updates and temperatures at NY1's weather page, and with Weather on the 1s every 10 minutes.