Ocean Rip Current Safety
Prevent a Drowning Tragedy on Your Beach Vacation
The majority of ocean drownings involve rip currents. Learn how to avoid and survive these dangerous currents.
Danger From Rip Currents
In the US, rip currents cause approximately 100 drownings per year. About 80% of all swimmers rescued at beaches were endangered by rip currents (United States Lifesaving Association). Swimmers who understand rip currents can reduce their chances of being caught in one and increase their chances of survival if they are caught in a rip current.
What Is a Rip Current?
A rip current is a narrow region where water is flowing outward perpendicular to the shoreline. They usually range from 20 to 100 feet wide, but can occasionally be wider. The outward flowing current pulls even strong swimmers outward, but does not pull swimmers downward.
People associate rip currents with ocean beaches, but they can also occur on any beach that has waves large enough to break, including large lakes. Rip currents can occur where there is a natural break in an offshore sandbar or near a manmade structure such as a pier or jetty.
Surf breaking over a sandbar pushes water towards the shore. This water must flow back out to sea and does so where there is a break or low spot in the underwater sandbar. Near the shore, feeder currents, parallel to the shore, flow towards a low spot or break in the sandbar. These breaks, where the water flows outward, are relatively narrow, so the water pressure pushes the outward flow at a higher speed. Beyond the sandbar the rip current gets wider and dissipates. The narrow area of the rip current is called the neck, and the wider area is called the head.
Typical water speeds in a rip current are 1 to 2 feet per second, but they can rapidly increase to speeds as high as 8 feet per second (5.5 miles per hour). Even the best competitive swimmers can not sprint this fast, so you cannot swim against a rip current.
Signs of a Rip Current
To help spot rip currents, wear polarized sun glasses. They cut down on the glare and make rip currents easier to see. One or more of these signs may be present, but they are not always visible. You are seeing a rip current if you see a narrow, perpendicular to the shoreline, band of:
- Choppy or churning water,
- A different color water,
- Debris or seaweed flowing out to sea,
- A change in the pattern of incoming waves.
If You Are Caught in a Rip Current
- Don't Panic! Stay calm so you can think clearly and save energy.
- Never try to swim against the current. You can't! The world's strongest competitive swimmers cannot swim against a strong rip current.
- Swim sideways, parallel to the shoreline, until you are out of the rip current.
- After you are out of the rip current and no longer need to swim against it, swim diagonally towards the shore.
- If you cannot swim perpendicular to the rip current, ride it out while floating or treading water. Then swim diagonally towards the shore.
- If you can't swim towards the shore, after you are out of the rip current, wave your arms to get someone's attention.
If You See Someone Else Caught in a Rip Current
- Weak swimmers, not trained in lifesaving, often drown or get into trouble trying to rescue someone else. Unless you are a strong surf swimmer and trained in lifesaving techniques, do not rush into the rip current after someone.
- If the beach has lifeguards, get their attention. If not, call 911.
- Without getting caught in the rip current yourself, try to throw the person something to use as a flotation device. Use anything available that floats.
- Yell or make hand motions for the person to swim parallel to shore.
Rip currents are a danger of beach swimming, but knowledge and proper safety precautions minimize the danger. To prevent a drowning tragedy, make sure all members of your family or party know about rip current safety before your beach vacation.
