Rip
Tides Currents
You've seen the headlines, heard stories--Swimmer
Caught in Rip Tide Drowns. Only one problem, there's
no such thing as a rip "tide."There
are rip "currents" all over the world and they can be dangerous and
deadly. But they're survivable if you understand what they are, how
they behave and what to do if you're caught in one.
Rip currents are like rivers from the beach
back to the ocean. As waves strike the shore, the water must
naturally flow back to the sea. In areas where there are reefs, that
"river" flows through gaps in the coral or rock and is pretty easily seen.
Water flowing out creates ripples and a change in appearance of waves
approaching the beach--it looks choppy.
Rips on a beach break with a sand bottom
are a little less-easily seen, but still evident if you pay a bit of
attention. Look for the choppy water surface and a gap in the waves.
The water outside the line of waves is sometimes a different color than
the water around it.
Surfers use these rivers of ocean water
flowing out to sea to enter the line up. Since waves are often
absent in the rip, it's a lot easier to paddle out. Floating on a
surfboard makes it easy to paddle away from all but the strongest rips and
move into the area where waves break. But what if you get caught in
a rip current without a board?
The first rule of getting out of a rip is
don't panic. That wastes energy and is otherwise not helpful.
Swim parallel to the beach, don't try to swim back to shore! Once
you're sufficiently out of the current, swim back to the beach.
Always study a break before you paddle out,
note where rip currents are and stay away!
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