7/6/2023 0 Comments Rip current![]() ![]() This tends to cause the water to be pushed along the beach away from the direction of the oncoming waves. These currents are most evident when waves hit the shore at an angle. The same forces that cause rip currents also cause longshore currents. You can also try to swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current, then swim directly toward shore. Do not try to swim against the current as this is very difficult, even for an experienced swimmer. A rip current is not an "undertow" - it will not pull you under. If caught in a rip current, try to relax. Waves usually do not break as readily in a rip current as in adjacent water. The water may be colder than the surrounding water. The water in a rip current may be dirty (from the sand being turned up by the current). You can sometimes identify a rip current by its foamy and choppy surface. If you decide to swim, check the conditions first to identify any dangerous currents. If you are not a strong swimmer, go no further than knee deep. When swimming, choose an area protected by lifeguards. Learn to swim and consider participating in a junior lifeguard program. The sea is a wonderful playground, but you must respect its power. Inshore holes and sandbars can also greatly increase the danger of spinal injury. Longshore currents, inshore holes, and other bottom conditions contribute to the formation of rip currents. Rip currents may pull continuously, but they can suddenly appear or intensify after a set of waves, or when there is a breach in an offshore sandbar. Some 80% of rescues by lifeguards at America's surf beaches are due to persons being caught in rip currents. ![]() They can flow to a point just past the breaking surf (the surfline) or hundreds of yards offshore. Rip currents can be 50 feet to 50 yards or more wide. If it converges in a narrow, river-like current moving away from shore, it forms what is known as a Rip Current. Gravity pulls this water back toward the sea. When waves break, water is pushed up the slope of the shore. Sometimes a group of larger waves comes ashore one after another. Sea waves usually result from storms, often hundreds of miles from shore. Most waves are formed by wind on the water. ![]()
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