Rip current

:Riptide redirects here. Riptide may also refer to an American TV series.

Dangers

Such currents can all be extremely dangerous, dragging swimmers away from the beach and leading to death by drowning when they attempt to fight the current and become exhausted. Although rare, rip currents can be deadly for non-swimmers as well: a person standing waist deep in water can be dragged out into deeper waters, where they can drown if they are unable to swim and are not wearing a flotation device. On 14 April 2004, an 19-year-old university student was killed by a rip current simply by standing in knee-deep ocean water at La Jolla Shores, near San Diego, California, USA. This occurred at low tide after midnight (no lifeguards present), and unfortunately, he was a non-swimmer without a flotation device.

Related Topics:
Swimmer - Beach - Drowning - Current - Exhausted - Flotation device - La Jolla - San Diego, California

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Rip currents cause approximately 1000 deaths annually in the United States, more than all other natural hazards except heat. About 86% of rescues by surf beach lifeguards are due to rip currents. A common misconception is that a rip occurring under the water, instead of on top — an undertow — is strong enough to drag people under the water; this is not true.

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