If you are one of the thousands of people who every weekend enjoy time on the beach, you will want to know how to do it safely. If you are spending any amount of time near water then you will need to ensure that you fully understand beach safety and rip currents. Rip currents can be very dangerous and if not fully understood can cause injury or even death to swimmers. The ocean is a very powerful thing and within 24 hours there are two high tides and two low tides; keeping track of these is very important to you if you surf.
A rip current is very strong water current that flows towards the sea from the shore, typically incorporating the surf line. These current are incredibly fast and can gain up to speeds of eight feet per second. They can happen at any beach in any area and there is no specific area that they will occur, this is why you should be very aware of beach safety at all times. Rip currents can drag swimmers and surfers under the water within seconds, and will drag you away from the beach making it difficult to make it back to shore. Eventually you will die from drowning as you will be exhausted from attempting to swim back to shore.
Rip currents are not rare, they happen at most beaches and swimmers need to be careful. If you are standing in waist deep water you are just as at risk as someone in deeper water. Surfers often use the Rip current to propel themselves past the breakers. If you understand how the currents work, then this can help. You should respect the sea and how powerful it can be. You should learn some basic beach safety and ensure that you always swim where there are life guards; they will ensure that your safety is the most important thing. Responding in the correct way if you are caught in a rip tide is also very important. If you react in the right way it could save your life and some basic knowledge of rip currents can help.
These currents develop when there is wind which pushes the water towards the shore. The water tries to find a place to go and this results in what is known as a rip current. It is a popular belief that the current beneath the water is the most powerful, however this is not true and most of the time it is the surface water that has the worst current. Surf conditions have powerful rip currents and they are frequently stronger than the surf, and when it is windy then it is almost a sure thing that there will be a rip current. Watching the angles of the waves will aid you in determining if there will be a rip current.
Sometimes rip currents can be spotted, although they are difficult to see, you may be lucky and recognize the signs. You need to look out for a channel of churning water, it will choppy and the sea will be a different color in that area. You will also notice that the water will be moving out to sea and not into the shore line and it will carry debris with it. If you do happen to get caught in a rip current you should try to remain calm. Although your first instinct is to try to swim to shore, this will be really difficult and take all of your strength trying to swim against the rip current. Rip currents are stronger than even very strong swimmers so trying to do this won’t work.
You must attempt to swim parallel to the shore, until you have passed the rip current, and once you have done that you will then be able to swim back to shore. If you get tired then you can tread water and float as the tide will pull you back in to shore. If you stay calm when stuck in a rip tide then you can often swim your way out. These currents will not drag you under, but they will pull you further out to sea where you will be terrified and soon tire out. If you use common sense when out at the beach, and you know much about beach safety, then you will be able to see the signs if a strong rip current was to come about. If you decide to swim knowing this, then make sure you know about all the risks and how to get yourself out of a potentially dangerous situation if one should arise.
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