Rip Currents We all love our summer vacations at the beach. The sun, sand, and surf are something that we look forward to all year long. The ocean is so restorative. However, it's also a force of nature, and depending on the day there could be a dangerous force lurking in the sea; Rip Currents. These rip currents are narrow channels of fast-moving water that are very powerful. Rip currents can occur at any beach with breaking waves; they most often form at low spots or breaks in the sandbars. They can be found along most coasts of the United States, including the East, Gulf, and West Coasts. Rips can also be seen along the shores of the Great Lakes. The term "rip current" is often confused with "riptides," but the two are unique occurrences. A riptide is a specific current that describes that swift movement of tidal water through the mouth of estuaries, harbors, and inlets. Rip currents can be as narrow as 10 or 20 feet in width, though they may be up to ten times wider. The length of the rip current also varies. Rip currents begin to slow down as they move offshore, beyond the breaking waves, but sometimes extend for hundreds of feet beyond the surf zone.
According to the U.S. Lifesaving Association (USLA), more than 80 percent of the surf beach rescues, performed by lifeguards, each year, involve rip currents.
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Inside Ocean City 2022
Rip currents are not always easy to identify. Quickly changing wave heights, which occur when a large set of swells rolls in, can trigger a rip current. Some visual signs that may indicate the presence of a rip current include a break in the pattern of incoming waves, choppy water, seaweed or debris moving steadily seaward, a channel of churning choppy water, or an area where the water appears to be a different color from the surrounding water. The risk of rip currents is determined by many factors, including weather, tides, local variations in beach shape and how waves break offshore. Some beaches may have rip currents nearly all the time, while other beaches almost never see the dangerous flows. Even if you don’t spot any of these signs, a rip current could still be present. The United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) recommends wearing polarized sunglasses to see these ocean features more clearly.
