Hurricane Dorian was expected to stay off the coast of New York and New Jersey, but officials still urged everyone to stay out of the water to avoid life-threatening risks.

All swimming and surfing was banned at New York City beaches Friday and Saturday due to the storm, WABC-TV reported. NYC Parks officials cited dangerous rip currents and swells as high as 10 feet as reasons for the closure, the report added.

"We implore New Yorkers to take the closures seriously and not to risk their safety by ignoring this directive and swimming and surfing while our shores are experiencing the impacts from Hurricane Dorian," Mitchell Silver, NYC Parks Commissioner, told WABC.

(MORE: Latest East Coast Dorian Impacts | Bahamas)

Lifeguards and police will be keeping a close eye on the beaches to ensure nobody violates the ban, according to CBS New York. Nevertheless, surfers were seen in the water at Rockaway Beach Friday morning, the report added.

After the Labor Day holiday, many beaches along the Jersey Shore and Delaware coast have fewer lifeguards, while some have none at all, WDEL.com reported. Therefore, it might not just be the water that's off-limits – some beaches might be fully closed, the report added.

"Along the beaches, we expect to see an elevated rip current risk," said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. "In the midst of this, please stay off the beaches. The last thing any of us want is to have to send emergency help into the waters."