Q&A for How to Survive a Rip Tide

No, rip currents don’t pull you under the water, but they will carry you away from shore. Trying to fight against them can lead to exhaustion, putting your life in danger. That’s why it’s important to swim parallel to the rip current and the shore instead of trying to swim out of it by going towards the shore.

People can drown in rip currents when they panic and lose control in the water, or when they try to swim against the current and exhaust themselves. An inexperienced swimmer trying to save someone else from a rip current can also end up being pulled under by the panicking victim of the current, which can lead to drowning.

Undertow is a type of current that occurs when large waves are breaking at the beach. After a wave breaks, the water can rush back, causing you to feel as though you are being pulled under or backwards before being pummeled by the next breaking wave. A true riptide is a type of current that occurs offshore, at an inlet. Rip currents also occur offshore and will pull you along on the surface of the water.

Riptides (or Rip currents) are usually formed when water that has come on to shore via breaking waves flows out in one particular concentrated area. Imagine an underwater sand bar with a gap in the middle of it: waves break over the sand bar onto the shore and the water's only means of retreat is to rush out through the gap. This creates the strong force that swimmers cannot fight against. Once the water has passed through the gap in the sand bar, the power of the current diminishes and swimmers are able to swim out of it.

Try and get a lifeguard's attention. If there aren't any lifeguards, don't let your pet near ocean currents you think are too strong for him/her. Always test the water before you let your pet in.

Rip currents usually last for only 30-40 meters, though they can be up to 200 meters. After that, the water returns to normal and you should be able to swim back to shore. So no, a rip current cannot take you out so far that you can no longer see the shore.

Tread water and conserve energy until you reach the end (usually no more than 30-40 meters from the shore), then swim diagonally back to shore.

No. Riptides can occur anywhere that has a lot of water. They can happen at large lakes, dams or rivers.

Yes, these steps apply to anyone stuck in a riptide.

If you're at a public beach with lifeguards, there are usually warning if there have been rip currents occurring that day. You can also ask the lifeguard on duty if there have been any riptides reported that day.

Riptides don't tend to occur at small lake, only in lakes large enough to be like an inland sea. If you are with a small child and they get caught in one, take a float into the riptide and go in to save them using your own swimming knowledge from this article.

No. Your first and best option is to dig your feet into the sea floor (along with attracting help); removing your feet from the sand will only make you easier to carry away.

Sharks don't usually attack humans. It commonly occurs as mistaken identity when the shark mistakes you for another animal. Stay still as possible and don't splash in the water.

The best thing you can do is stay calm and call out to people who are on the beach. But don't yell out too much and lose your energy.

No, you do not want to get into the water to help someone, as you are only putting your own life in danger. Find something that floats, like a lifebuoy, to catch the person caught in the riptide.

It very much depends on the type of beach, but normally it will pull you no further than 20-30 meters out to sea. It may seem a long way out, but the key is to stay calm and not fight the current in order to preserve your energy to either swim back or call for help.

A rip current is a narrow channel of fast-moving water caused by a returning wave. A rip tide happens only in inlets or bays, when a falling tide pulls water out of a narrow channel to the sea. Rip tides can be much larger than rip currents, but because they are more predictable, swimmers are usually warned not to enter areas where they occur.

Float or tread water until you are able to move yourself in the floating position out of the rip tide.

Yes, you definitely can. Though the actual riptide itself won't kill you, it can drag you out to sea where you can get exhausted and drown, or it can smash you against a rocky coast.

Possibly. You could use the boogie board to keep yourself afloat if you are not a very strong swimmer.

Just do the same thing. Weight doesn't necessarily matter.

Stay calm and call for help, try to float, and try to paddle. Just fill your lungs with air and doggy paddle to the shore. If you can't do this, stay calm and call for help.

Rip currents don't usually appear in lakes. Swim to shore and climb out.

Any way you can survive is a good course of action. If in a burning building you have a choice between using your climbing skills to reach the adjacent roof, or use your jumping skills to land and roll safely into your garden, the point is not to think of the choice, but to choose any one and do it first. Safely back on the beach, you can contemplate your choice and subsequent actions. In these situations, you do not want to try a course of action just to see if you are capable of it. Choose one you are sure will lead you to safety.

Riptides occur twice a day in places where the layout of the bay and water allow them. They can last for as long as the ebbing tide lasts, as long as the tide carries water out to sea; about six hours maximum.

If you are outside of the rip current, shout out the instructions written above. If they cannot swim very well, tell them to float on their back and wait it out. Rip currents usually only go on for 30-40 meters.

Rip tides are caused by the tide. There are two high and two low tides every day (24 hours 50 minutes, to be exact). Only low tides produce riptides, so in places where the layout of the bay and water create them, they occur twice a day.

Yes. They are very dangerous and have caused many deaths. Remember to be careful.

They're not fast, but they're powerful. Don't swim against it, always swim sideways with it and you will eventually be washed back to shore.

Try to keep calm, try to keep your head up in the air. Do not fight the current, let your body float until the current eases. When you are out of the current, which means no more drifting, open your arms wide, take bigger breaths and try to lie on your back on the water. Aim to keep floating over the water surface, and try to keep your head slightly above the water surface. If you make some easy moves with your hands and legs, the water’s density should keep you floating over the surface and try to put your one arm up and wave to let someone see you and shout for help without making yourself out of breath.