A rip current can turn an ordinary day at the beach into a deadly one if you are not careful. Any beach with breaking waves can suffer from rip currents, so it is important that you are on high alert any time you step into an ocean, sea or large lake. Being well prepared to handle rip currents before going into the water can be the difference between life and death.
Know When Conditions are Right for Rip Currents
Knowing when conditions are right for rip currents can help you avoid becoming another victim when at the beach. Rip currents are caused when wind and waves push water towards the shore. When the water is pushed towards the shore, it will then travel sideways as it looks for an opportunity to flow back out into the open water. Common places where rip currents occur are in between sandbars, near piers, and in the vicinity of jetties. The underwater terrain of these locations make the conditions ripe for rip currents as water that was pushed to the shore can easily flow back to the open seas in these locations.
Rip currents are strongest when the surf is rough or when the tide is low. Rough surf is prevalent when there are high onshore winds and when a large storm is far offshore. Paying close attention to weather reports is the best way to know which way the wind is blowing so you can be prepared for high onshore wind events.
What to do if you are in a Rip Current
If you find yourself caught in a rip current, the first thing you need to do is stay calm. Panicking will only make the situation worse and cause you to tire yourself out quicker. Most people believe that a rip current drags them underwater, but this is not the case as a rip current flows horizontally and takes you out to sea. Most people perish in a rip current because they try to swim directly against the flow of water and end up tiring themselves out trying to fight the rip current.
Once you realize you are in a rip current, you will want to locate the shoreline so you know which way to swim. Because the rip current is flowing perpendicular with the shore out to sea, you will need to swim parallel with the shore until you are out of the rip current. Typically, rip currents are narrow, so you should not have to swim too far to be free of the rip current. The best thing you can do when in a rip current is to spot an area of water where waves are breaking. Whenever there is a location with breaking waves, you know that you stand a good chance of being pushed towards the shore, enabling you to escape the grips of a rip current. These crashing waves will allow you to conserve your energy and gain assistance from the waves when trying to swim back to land.
If you find yourself becoming tired when trying to fight out of a strong rip current, remember that you can always relax and float along with the current or tread water to save energy. Since the rip current is only carrying you out to sea and not dragging you underwater, you can simply wait for the rip current to lose its strength at which point you will be able to calmly swim back to shore, making sure that you avoid the area containing the rip current.