What is a rip current and how to survive one
Rip currents can occur along any shoreline with breaking waves – not just in the ocean. Even the shoreline along our Great Lakes can experience rip currents.
How to survive a rip current
Do you know what to do if you find yourself caught in a rip current while swimming? Swim instructor and owner of Swim With Gills Christina Gillin-Theiss joined FOX Weather to explain how you can stay safe and survive if you’re struggling in the water. (Video from June 2024)
If you have plans to travel to the beach this summer, you need to know some important safety information about the dangers of rip currents so you can be prepared before heading out into the water.
Rip currents are strong, narrow currents that move away from the shore and out to sea at high speeds. They can occur at any beach with breaking waves – not just in the ocean. Rip currents can also occur along the shorelines of the Great Lakes.
Watch: What is a rip current?
This video explains rip currents and how they form along the shoreline.
"Rip currents account for an estimated 100 deaths in the United States each year," said Dr. Gregory Dusek, a physical oceanographer at NOAA who developed the administration’s first-ever national rip current forecast model, which launched in 2021.
Rip currents can sweep even the most experienced swimmers off their feet, and they can be difficult to spot. Given how dangerous and deadly they can be, it's important to know what to do if you or someone you know gets caught in a rip current.
First, don't panic. Try to stay calm and don't fight against the current. Instead, swim sideways out of the rip current and parallel to the shoreline. Then you can swim at an angle back to the beach.
If you can't seem to escape the rip current, try to remain calm while you're floating in the water, and look toward the coast and wave your arms while shouting for help.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APP
Watch: Father, son rescued after being pulled offshore by strong rip current in Florida
A father and his young son vacationing in Florida were rescued after they were pulled 100 yards offshore by a powerful rip current in Florida. (Video from May 2023)
"If you do get caught in a rip current, the best thing you can do is stay calm," Dusek said in NOAA's rip current survival guide. "It's not going to pull you underwater; it's just going to pull you away from shore."
Dusek advises that you always swim near a lifeguard when at the beach. But if a lifeguard isn’t there, you should be sure to know how to spot a rip current, and if you get caught in one, know how to get out.
"Spotting a rip current can be difficult, and really needs some practice. But when you go to the beach, start off by staying back from the water." Dusek said. "Rip currents are easier to see at an elevated position, like a dune line or beach access, and then look for places where waves aren't breaking, so flat spots in the line of breaking waves. And then also where there's maybe foam or sediment in the water being transported away from the beach offshore."
It's also advised to check out beach conditions, including a wave forecast, before you head to the beach.
PARENTS DROWN IN FLORIDA BEACH RIP CURRENTS WHILE VACATIONING WITH 6 CHILDREN
"People often misunderstand and think that rip currents only occur during bad-weather days at the beach, but actually, you can have strong rip currents with sunny days and waves of only about two to three feet high," Dusek said.
This is because rip currents are caused by waves and other factors, like the tide.
Any beach with breaking waves can have a rip current danger, like a large, sandy beach. But they can also occur in areas with hard structures like piers and even rocks that extend out into the ocean.
Many beaches use color-coded flags to warn visitors of the day’s rip current risk.
THESE ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS STATES TO GO SWIMMING
This graphic provides information on beach flags and rip currents.
(FOX Weather)
If you see a green flag, strong rip currents are not expected that day, so you should be able to swim safely. However, beware of the yellow and red flags. A yellow flag means there is a moderate risk of strong rip currents, while a red flag indicates a high risk.
Take extreme caution when entering the water if a yellow or red flag is posted on the beach.