What is a rip current?
A rip current occurs when there is a build up of excess water in front of the sandbar. The water wants to flow downhill through the sandbar but it is blocked, building up pressure. The pressure is released through the point where the sand bar is weakest. This creates a hole in the sand bar where all of this excess water flows through at a very fast rate. Anything or anyone caught in the pull of the rip current will be pulled out past the sand bar until the pressure is alleviated.
Rip currents are powerful channels of water that flow away from the shore at speeds from 1 to 8 feet per second. They can happen anytime, but are most dangerous when the surf is high and rough. Rip currents can be permanent features near piers and jetties, so you should stay at least 100 feet away from these features. You can sometimes spot a rip current at the shore. It may have a notable difference in color or appear as a line of foam, with debris or seaweed moving steadily away from the shore. If you are caught in a rip current it’s important that you remain calm. Swim parallel to the shore until you escape the current. If you see a person caught in a rip current, throw them something that floats and call a lifeguard or 911. You could be putting yourself at danger if you attempt to rescue the person yourself. A rip current pulls you away from shore; it does not pull you under the water. Rip currents are also incorrectly referred to as rip tides and undertows. You can learn more abou
A rip current is a phenomenon that occurs along shorelines with breaking waves. As the wave moves from deep water to shallow water it may break with a great deal of force in some places, while it is weak in other areas. This difference in strength of the wave’s break can cause circulation cells to develop which form the rip current: a narrow and fast-moving strip of water that moves away from the shore. A variety of factors may affect the formation of a rip current including sandbars, piers, jetties, and the shape of the ocean floor. Rip currents are often erroneously referred to as rip tides. Tides have to do with the ocean’s water levels which predictably and slowly change primarily due to the moon’s gravitational pull. Rip currents, on the other hand, exist irrespective of tides, forming suddenly and unexpectedly as a result of certain conditions of breaking waves. Put simply, tides have to do with the water level, and currents are faster streams of water moving in a larger body of
A rip current, erroneously called a rip tide or undertow, is like a shallow river or channel of water flowing away from shore. Rip currents are part of the natural nearshore ocean circulation and occur on most days at the beaches. Weather or ocean conditions can cause them to be strong on some days, pulling unprepared swimmers away from shore into deeper water. However, rip currents do NOT pull you under the water. Rip currents in Florida form where breaks occur in the sandbar.The photo on the right shows the two main parts of a rip current, which are identifiable by a foam and sediment plume. 1. The neck of the rip current is where the seaward pull is narrowest and fastest. 2. The head is where the current broadens and slows.
