Rip Current Safety

Rip Currents

How to Avoid and Survive Rip Currents:

  • A rip current is a narrow, powerful current of water that runs perpendicular to the beach.
  • Rip currents pull swimmers away from the beach every year.
  • Over 100 people in the United States lose their lives because of them.
  • Drowning deaths occur when people try to swim against the current.
  • The accompanying chart illustrates how to get out of a rip current if you find yourself in one.
  • Do not fight the current; swim parallel to the shore.
  • Learn more by visiting the National Weather Service’s Rip Current Safety Web page: www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/