Definition: A large amount of
water at the shoreline rushes in a narrow path back to the
sea.
What is a Rip
Current?
No matter how a rip current is formed, the effect is the
same. A large amount of water at the shoreline rushes in a
narrow path back to the sea. This path of water can extend as
far as 3000 feet offshore, reach 90 feet in width, and travel up to
four feet per second.
Rip currents, sometimes incorrectly called
undertows, do not pull swimmers under the water, but can pull even
experienced swimmer away from shore. A rip current is formed
when water that usually moves along the shore rushes out to sea in
a narrow path. This can happen where
(1) there is a break in an offshore sandbar,
(2) the longshore current is diverted by a groin, pier, or jetty,
or
(3) longshore currents moving in opposite directions meet.
Signs of a Rip
Current
Stand on a high area, such as a sand dune or deck, and scan the
water. To spot a rip current, look for the following
characteristics:
-
A streak of water that is a different color.
The streak may look more murky or darker than the surrounding
water.
-
A gap in advancing breakers where the rip current
is pushing its way seaward.
-
A line of foam extending offshore.
-
An offshore plume of turbid water past the
sandbar.
-
If still unsure, throw a floating object into the
water and see if it moves steadily seaward.
What to do?
-
DO NOT PANIC or try to swim
against the current
-
Swim parallel to shore until you feel the current
lessen and then swim to shore
-
If you can't break out of the current, float with
it until it dissipates, usually just beyond the breakers.
Then swim diagonally to shore.
-
If you do not swim well, know your limits, stay in
wading depths, and watch for sudden drop-offs.
-
NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU SWIM, ALWAYS SWIM IN FRONT
OF A LIFEGUARD
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Carolina Sea Grant, North Carolina State University, P.O. Box 8605,
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8605, (919) 515-2454
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