Rip Currents

Don't Panic!

Many visitors to Florida's beaches underestimate the danger of rip currents or attempt to swim where there are no lifeguards. These tips from Florida Sea Grant and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administriation's National Weather Service (NWS) can help you survive rip currents and surf conditions.

What Are Rip Currents?
How Do I Escape a Rip Current?
Tips for Swimming Safely
"Break the Grip of the Rip!" Poster

What Are Rip Currents?

Rip currents are formed when water rushes out to sea in a narrow path. They may form in a break in a sandbar near the shore, or where the current is diverted by a groin or jetty. Most trouble spots are less than thirty feet wide. Many rip currents are temporary, but others are permanent, and they often occur after storms.

Since 1989, an average of nineteen persons per year have died as a result of rip currents in Florida, according to the NWS East Central Florida Rip Current Program. Rip currents cause more deaths in Florida on average than hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and lightning combined.

How Do I Escape a Rip Current?

First of all, don't panic! If you get caught in a rip current, try to escape it by moving sideways across it--parallel to shore--until you are out of the current. If you can't break out of the current, float calmly and let it carry you 50 to 100 yards from the shore until it dissipates. Then swim back to shore at an angle away from the rip current.

Rip currents are powerful enough to pull even experienced swimmers away from the shore. Do not try to swim straight back to the shore against the current.

Tips for Swimming Safely

You can swim safely this summer by keeping in mind some simple rules.

Choose Carefully When & Where to Swim

Swim only in areas protected by lifeguards who can provide advice and rescue in times of need.
Always pay attention to beach warning flags.
Learn to recognize dangerous ocean conditions and rip currents. As waves pile up onto the beach, the water forms rip currents as it heads back out to sea. These powerful currents usually look like rivers of white water flowing away from the beach
Do not overestimate your swimming abilities. If you are not experienced with large waves, stay out of the water while the surf is up. If you are not an experienced swimmer and cannot keep yourself afloat for extended periods, do not enter the water when the surf is running.

Use Safe Swimming Techniques

Duck under the waves. Breaking waves pack a pretty good punch when they hit a floating object. By submerging yourself only a few feet under the water, you will avoid almost all of a wave's impact and safely pop back up on the other side. You will only have to hold your breath a few seconds and this simple maneuver--routinely used by surfers and experienced swimmers--can save your life.
Swim out past the breaking waves. Waves usually break in an area known as the "Impact Zone", which is not a safe place for swimmers or someone caught in a rip current. On the other side of the zone, conditions are generally calm, the rip current fades, and you can easily float over the waves while keeping your head above water.

Stay Calm & Don't Fight the Current

Stay calm; do not panic. Your chances of surviving a rip current--or any swimming experience--are drastically improved by staying calm and maintaining your ability to assess the situation.
Never fight the rip. If you find yourself being pulled out to sea, do not fight the current by trying to swim back to shore. Stay calm and go with the flow. Keep yourself afloat by treading water or swimming parallel to the beach. In a few minutes, the current will dissipate.
Catch your breath, then try to call for help. After you have allowed the rip current to carry you out past the Impact Zone, you can catch your breath and signal for help. It may seem like you are very far from the beach, but you are generally safe here as long as you can tread water and keep yourself afloat. At this point, you can swim parallel to the beach to a calmer area to wait for help to arrive.
Let the waves do the work. If help is not available, and you need to get back to the beach on your own, swim with the waves back toward the beach. Take your time and remember to duck under the larger waves. Again, go with the flow, and soon, the waves will push you back toward the beach.