Beach Safety Basics: Rip Currents

Video: Ocean waves

Audio (Tuba Ozkan-Haller, Professor
Oregon State University): "Uh, rip currents actually cause a good number of deaths per year.  Um, people, especially children as they're going swimming, can be carried offshore by them very, very quickly.

(Video: Animation of child in water, waves on the beach)

Audio (Ozkan-Haller): "We believe that rip currents are caused by…long short variations of the wave height that can occur due to the existence of sea stacks or underwater mounds that are off shore that we can't necessarily see."

Video: Zoom in on waves. Jamie MacMahan stands on the beach.

Audio (Dr. Jamie MacMahan, Associate Professor, University of Delaware):
"You see a rip current, you see sort of no waves really breaking in this area.  You walk along and the next thing you know you're being pulled off shore.  And this is counter-intuitive.  A lot of people…want to swim back to shore, and that's your first instinct, but you really need to move parallel and then you'll come back on shore.

Video: Foamy water, dark spots in the surf

Audio (McMahan): "Something to look for is, uh, sediment laid in water, so a lot of stirring, uh, foam being ejected offshore. Dark spots or breaking on neighboring shoals or low lying areas.  Darker areas, if you're walking along the beach or in the surf zone and it gets deeper, this is something where you can start to say, oh, O.K., I'm getting into maybe what's called a rip channel."

Video: Model of rip current in wave tank.

Audio (McMahan): "That shallow region represents a rip channel.  And what you're getting waves breaking on the…two bars.  And you see…you're getting a…a…a bending of the wave ray as it comes into the rip channel.  And you see the particles starting to move out through the rip channel."

Video: Animation illustrating Chris Brewster's suggestions.

Audio (Chris Brewster, President,
US Lifesaving Association): "If you're caught in the rip current, the first thing you want to try to do is to remain calm.  Stay floating.  You want to try to swim along the shoreline and then on an angle back to shore, if you can do so. 

Video:

Audio (Brewster): "But if you're unable to do that, just stay floating in the rip current.  Eventually it's pull will dissipate.  If you're a non-swimmer, and if you're really unable to even stay afloat, turn around, face shore, wave your arms, yell for help, anything along those lines.

Video: Stock footage of swimmer in trouble and lifeguard tower.

Audio (Brewster):"If you see someone in trouble, get help from a lifeguard.  If there's no lifeguard available, throw them something that floats and give them advice on how to get back to shore.  Don't try to go in and effect a rescue.  Every year people drown trying to rescue others.  Don't become a victim trying to rescue someone else."

Video: Credits.

[End of excerpt]