How you can identify a rip current and navigate yourself to safety
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- When you have a trip planned to the shore a check on the weather forecast is almost a guarantee, but do you also check the threat rip currents? Rip currents, but wait...what exactly is a rip current in the first place?
Perhaps you have heard the term rip tide or even runout when talking about rip currents. These terms are commonly used in certain regions when referencing the same phenomenon as a rip current but are now considered to be incorrect.
What is a rip current? And why is it dangerous?
A rip current is simply a current of water flowing away from the shore at surf beaches. They typically start near the shoreline and run through the zone of the surf and out past the line of breaking waves.
Rip currents usually form in low spots or breaks in sandbars and near structures in the water like piers and jetties. These powerful, channeled currents of water can be hundreds of yards wide or just as narrow as a few feet.
They form as waves push water toward the shore, which causes the water to pile up closer to the beach. When too much water piles up the water seeks a path of least resistance to make its way back through the surf and waves. Typically, this can be a break in the sandbar.
It's through this path of least resistance that the channel of escaping water, the rip current, is strongest. Once the current moves beyond this narrow gap the flow begins to spread out, weakening as it moves further away from the shore.
The rip current ends typically just beyond the breaking waves, but in some cases the current can continue hundreds of yards away from the shore. For this reason, it is important, if ever caught in one of these powerful currents, to never try to swim against the current directly back to shore.
Even the greatest swimmers are not able to outswim the power of some rip currents and can easily become exhausted and potentially drown. Rip currents are consistently one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States.
From 2014-2023 there were an average of 74 fatalities each year due to rip currents. This ranked third behind floods and heat, but ahead of wind, tornadoes and all other weather phenomena.
What to do if you're stuck in a rip current?
If you or someone swimming near you is ever caught in a rip current it's important to know how to escape and survive the unsuspecting power of its fast current of water. Traveling at an average speed of 1-2 feet per second, trying to swim against a rip current will be nearly impossible.
Never try to swim directly back to shore, but rather swim along the shoreline, perpendicular to the rip current until you escape the currents pull. When you no longer feel the current pulling you away from the shore, swim at an angle away from the current toward the shore. If at this point you feel you cannot continue to swim, relax, face the shore and call or wave for help.
On beaches where rip currents are more common, it's important to only swim when lifeguards are on duty and when they say it is safe to swim in the water. If you choose to swim on a beach where a lifeguard is not present, it's important to not swim alone.
What does a rip current look like?
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, spotting a rip current can be difficult, especially when the ocean is very rough, but here are a few things to keep an eye out for:
- A narrow gap of darker, seemingly calmer water flanked by areas of breaking waves and whitewater.
- A channel of churning/choppy water that is distinct from surrounding water
- A difference in water color, such as an area of muddy-appearing water (which occurs from sediment and sand being carried away from the beach).
- A consistent area of foam or seaweed being carried through the surf.
Protecting yourself from rip currents
If you are ever in doubt of the presence of a rip current the best thing to do is just stay out of the water and avoid the risk altogether. The easiest way to stay safe from a rip current is to swim in areas under lifeguard supervision only.
Check in with lifeguards to see if the water is safe before entering or look at the color of the warning flags that indicate the day's water conditions.
Knowing how to swim in the pool versus the ocean are two very different skills. The U.S. Lifesaving Association recommends learning how to swim in the ocean and also, making sure your family and friends can too.
Before you take your next trip to the shore check out this resource from the local Philadelphia National Weather Service that always provides beach and surf conditions, including the current risk level for rip currents.