Rip Current
A rip current is a strong, narrow channel of water flowing away from the beach through the surf zone. Rip currents can form on any beach with breaking waves, including the Great Lakes, and can reach 8 feet per second, faster than an Olympic swimmer. They carry swimmers away from shore, not under the water.
Why It Matters
NOAA estimates that rip currents kill about 100 people in the United States each year, and lifeguards rescue tens of thousands more. The danger is exhaustion: swimming straight back against the current tires a swimmer out.
Rip Current Facts
| Property | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Typical speed | 1 to 2 feet per second |
| Maximum speed | Up to 8 feet per second |
| Width | 5 to 100 yards |
| Spacing along the beach | 50 to 500 yards apart |
| Pulses | The flow can more than double for 30 seconds to a minute |
Width and spacing are for channelized rip currents.
If You Are Caught in One
- Stay calm, then relax and float. A rip current carries you out, not under.
- Do not fight the current by swimming straight toward shore. That only wears you out.
- If you are able, swim along the shoreline until you are out of the current, then swim back to land at an angle.
- If you cannot reach shore, keep floating, face the beach, wave your arms, and yell for help.
Common Misconceptions
- A rip current does not pull you under. It carries you away from the beach along the surface.
- It is not undertow. Undertow is a separate, usually slower flow near the bottom and is typically not a hazard.
- It is not a rip tide. Rip currents are not tides. Strong tidal currents at inlets and harbor mouths are a different thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you escape a rip current?
Stay calm, relax, and float first, and do not swim against the current, which only wears you out. If you are able, swim along the shoreline until you are out of the current, then swim back to land at an angle. If you cannot reach shore, keep floating, face the beach, wave your arms, and yell for help.
How fast is a rip current?
Typically 1 to 2 feet per second, and up to 8 feet per second at the strongest, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer. Brief pulses can more than double the flow for 30 seconds to a minute.
Is a rip current the same as a rip tide or undertow?
No. A rip current is a narrow flow of water heading away from the beach through the surf. It is not caused by the tide, and it is not undertow, which is a slower flow near the bottom. Neither one pulls people under the water.
Related Terms
Small Craft Advisory
A Small Craft Advisory is a National Weather Service alert for winds or seas that are hazardous to small boats in coastal and Great Lakes waters. The wind and sea thresholds are set separately for each geographic area. There is no precise definition of a small craft: any vessel that the conditions could affect counts.
King Tide
King tide is a popular, non-scientific name for an exceptionally high tide. King tides happen when the higher tides around a new or full moon coincide with the Moon's closest approach to Earth, called perigee. They can flood low-lying coastal areas on a clear day, and they raise the water level any storm surge is added to.
Storm Surge
Storm surge is an abnormal rise in sea level during a hurricane or other intense storm, measured as the height of the water above the normal predicted tide. It is produced mainly by the storm's winds pushing water toward the shore. Storm surge is the leading cause of deaths from hurricanes.
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone with maximum one-minute sustained surface winds of 74 mph or greater in the Atlantic or eastern and central North Pacific. Hurricanes are categorized 1-5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, with Category 5 beginning at 157 mph.
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