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RECOGNIZING A RIP CURRENT Beach.]] There are signs to look for in the water to see if a rip current is present. Rip currents can be recognized by unusually calm waters, caused by the channel of water flowing out. The color of the water may be different from the surrounding area. Also, the waterline is lower on the shore near a rip current. It is advisable to look for the existence of a rip current before heading into the water. {Link without Title} {Link without Title} USES Rip currents can also be extremely useful for surfers as they save the effort of having to paddle out to catch a set. They can also be used by lifeguards (swimming or on paddleboards), who can use them to get out from the shore to perform a rescue much quicker than they could by swimming/paddling through the waves. DANGERS Such currents can all be extremely dangerous, dragging Swimmer s 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 . Rip currents cause approximately 100 deaths annually in the United States, more than all other natural hazards except heat and Floods . Over 80% of rescues by surf beach Lifeguard s are due to rip currents totaling 18,000 lifeguard rescues a year. CAUSES AND OCCURRENCE While the precise conditions leading to a rip current are not known, the general picture is as follows. When wind and waves push water towards the shore, the previous backwash is often pushed sideways by the oncoming waves. This water streams along the shoreline until it finds an exit back to the sea. The resulting rip current is usually narrow and located in a trench between Sandbar s, under Pier s or along Jetties . While 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 surface of the water; the current is actually strongest at the surface, and can dampen incoming waves, leading to the illusion of a particularly calm area, luring some swimmers in. Rip currents are stronger when the Surf is rough (such as during high onshore Winds , or when a strong Hurricane is far Offshore ) or when the Tide is low. A more theoretical description involves a quantity known as radiation stress. This is the force (or momentum flux) exerted on the water column by the presence of the wave. As a wave shoals and increases in wave height prior to breaking, radiation stress increases. To balance this, the mean sea surface (the water level with the wave averaged out) decreases. This is known as setdown. As the wave breaks and continues to reduce in height, the radiation stress decreases. To balance this force, the mean sea surface increases - this is known as setup. As a wave propagates over a sandbar with a gap (as shown above), the wave breaks on the bar, leading to setup. However, the part of the wave that propagates over the gap does not break, and thus setdown will continue. Thus, the mean sea surface over the bars is higher than that over the gap, and a strong flow will issue outward through the gap. Rip currents can potentially occur wherever strong longshore variability in wave breaking exists. This variability may be caused by sandbars (as above) or even by crossing wave trains. SURVIVING AN ENCOUNTER WITH A RIP CURRENT When caught in a rip current, one should not fight it, but rather swim Parallel to the shoreline in order to leave it. If you see a person caught in one, yell at them to do so. Floating until the current Disperse s into deeper waters is another method of surviving such a dangerous incident, but it may leave the swimmer farther out from shore. SAFETY TIPS Posted warnings, where available, should always be heeded. It is advisable to stay at least 100 feet away from piers and jetties, which impede waves, encouraging rip currents to form. Also, check the local newspaper and internet for tide timetables. (Beware that tides can be substantially different at beaches relatively close to each other.) Never go into the water without lifeguard supervision from -2 to +4 hours of the daily maximum low tide -- especially at night.. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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