How to recognize a rip current and get out of it

A rip current is a narrow stream of water that flows away from the shore, usually through a gap in the breaking waves. It can carry a swimmer or surfer beyond the surf zone quickly, but it does not pull people under the water. The two skills that matter most are recognizing the signs before you enter and knowing how to get out if you are caught.

Both skills can be learned in minutes from the sand, and both are worth practicing before each session at an unfamiliar beach. Rip currents can form at many beaches with breaking waves, so assume one may be present until you have checked.

How rip currents form

Breaking waves push water toward the beach, and that water has to go back out somewhere. It tends to find the easiest route, which is often a gap in a sandbar, a channel beside a pier or jetty, or a low spot between rocks. The return flow narrows into a current that runs seaward through the surf zone. The term rip tide is common, but rip current is the more accurate term, because these currents are driven mainly by breaking waves rather than by the tide.

That distinction matters for planning. Rips can form at any stage of the tide, and at many beaches they strengthen around low tide, so check the tide as well as the water in front of you. Sandbars and channels also shift with swell and wind, which means a rip in one spot one day can sit somewhere else the next.

Signs that a rip current is present

The most common sign is a gap in the breaking waves. Where the surf is otherwise steady, one area may show smaller waves or no waves breaking at all. Waves break over the shallow sandbars on either side, while the deeper water of the channel breaks less, so the gap looks calmer than the surf around it. That calm patch looks inviting, which is why it catches so many people. The calm look is the trap: the water inside the channel can be moving seaward faster than the water around it.

The channel is usually narrower than most people expect, sometimes only a few yards wide, and it can run from the shore out past the line where the waves break. Other signs include a stretch of choppy, churning water running seaward through the breaking line, water that looks darker or murkier than the water beside it because the current stirs up sand, and foam, seaweed or other debris drifting steadily away from the shore. A combination of these signs is more reliable than any one of them.

Rips are often easiest to spot from the beach before you enter. Stand where you can see the whole stretch of water and watch for several minutes. Many beaches also post flags or signs about conditions, and a red flag usually means high hazard, so check them first. Keep watching during the session, since the channel can move as the tide and swell change.

Why fighting the current wears you out

The natural instinct of a swimmer caught in a rip is to swim straight toward the shore. The problem is that the current is often strong enough to beat a swimmer's pace, so the swimmer makes little progress while the effort exhausts them. Fatigue then makes the situation more dangerous, because a tired swimmer has less capacity to think clearly, breathe steadily and stay afloat. Exhaustion and panic are what turn a manageable rip into a rescue.

How to get out of a rip current

Lifeguards commonly give the same short sequence of steps:

1. Stay calm and keep your head above water. Do not try to swim straight back to the beach.
2. Swim parallel to the shore instead. Because the rip is usually narrow, a few steady strokes sideways often bring you out of the channel and into water where the current weakens.
3. Once you are clear, swim diagonally toward the beach and come in with the waves rather than against them.
4. If you cannot get out of the current, float or tread water rather than tiring yourself. Raise one arm to signal, and call for help if you are able.

Surfers face the same trap with a board, and the same logic applies. Keep the board with you, since it helps you float while you signal, and keep the leash attached. Do not paddle into the current toward the wave you want or straight at the beach through the channel, because that wears you out quickly and can carry the board farther from the lineup. Instead, paddle parallel to the shore until the current loosens, then head back toward the lineup at a different spot. Once you are back in the surf, stay away from the rip itself, since the channel can shift as the waves change and may reform after a larger set.

If you see someone else caught in a rip

Helping someone caught in a rip starts with getting trained help moving. If a lifeguard is on the beach, alert them and point out where the person is. If there is no lifeguard, call the emergency number, which is 911 in the United States, and describe the location. Stay in contact with the person by calling out clear instructions to float and raise an arm.

While help is on the way, throw the person something that floats, such as a ring buoy, a lifejacket, a cooler or a foam board, and tell them to hold on and signal. Do not swim out after them unless you are a trained rescuer. A second person in trouble makes the rescue harder, while a swimmer holding a floating object is in a much better position to stay afloat until help arrives.