Can you survive a riptide

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.

Not Helpful 15 Helpful Tread water and conserve energy until you reach the end usually no more than meters from the shore , then swim diagonally back to shore. Not Helpful 12 Helpful Riptides can occur anywhere that has a lot of water. They can happen at large lakes, dams or rivers. Not Helpful 14 Helpful Not Helpful 9 Helpful 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. Not Helpful 40 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. A rip tide is a similar type of current that occurs in narrow channels of water, which are typically off limits for swimmers. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Remember, not even an Olympic swimmer could outpace a rip current.

Never try to fight current by swimming directly toward shore. Helpful 6 Not Helpful 0. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: March 11, Categories: Featured Articles Swimming Safety.

Italiano: Sopravvivere a una Corrente di Ritorno. Bahasa Indonesia: Menyelamatkan Diri dari Riptide. Nederlands: Een getijdenstroom overleven. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. Usually they relate to swimming tragedies, but I have never known what a rip tide was.

The explanation here was excellent, and it was good to learn how to survive one and the fact that a rip tide does not drag you underwater. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Brian Morgan Aug 20, Ashley Pert Jul 27, It's good all around for everyone. Teresa G. Aug 12, Currently on vacation sitting on the balcony as Search and Rescue is looking for 2 swimmers on red flag day.

Joe Lapsen Mar 24, All survived. One had to be rescued by professionals. They all tried to swim straight back to shore and were extremely exhausted. Good information to know at the shore. Taylor Andrew May 24, I didn't know what to do, so I thought it would be nice to know for if there is a next time!

My family and friends saved me! Rated this article:. Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Follow Us. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter Subscribe You're all set! Investigations continue into how the deaths occurred, but one theory is that some of the people have have died did so as a result of riptides.

Using wikiHow , we have compiled this step-by-step guide to try and help you survive if you find yourself in the grips of a riptide. When taking to the water in surf conditions, try to keep your feet to the bottom as much as possible.

This will help you avoid being swept out to sea. If you are caught up in a riptide, just stay calm. The current is more likely to pull you away from the shore than drag you underwater. Get the attention of a lifeguard or other people at the beach by calling for help and waving your arms. So rather than swim against the current, swim along the shoreline. In the U. Lifeguards in the U. We usually think of waves as washing stuff onto the beach—seaweed, shells and other ocean debris.

But sometimes the waves hit the beach in a certain way to create a current that flows away from the beach. This is a rip current. When waves travel from deep to shallow water, they break near the shoreline and generate currents that are influenced by the shape of the ocean floor, at times producing rip currents. Waves interacting with each other can also cause short-lived rip currents. Rip currents may form around low spots in the ocean floor near the shoreline or in breaks between sandbars.

They may also form around human-made structures such as jetties and piers.