Outdoor Education…Character development through the outdoors

Rip currents

At a surf beach, wave action pushes water towards the shore, which in turn creates currents returning that water seaward. Therefore a rip is defined as a body of water moving out to sea. Essentially, rips are rivers in the sea.

Science of the Surf Rip Currents -- Surf Life Saving and UNSW.mp4

What causes a rip?

Rip currents occur in definite patterns on many beaches but are largely dependent on:

1.The direction of the approaching swell.

2.The size of the surf

3.The tide

4.The topography of the shape of the sea floor. Rips create channels of deeper water when they flow over sand.

Identifying rips

1. Calm patches in the surf with waves breaking either side

2. Rippled or ‘criss-crossed’ water like a river in the sea

3. Discoloured water due to sand having been stirred up off the bottom

4. Foamy water with debris extending beyond the surf break

5. Rips form next to stable structures such as headlands.

Watch the ocean for at least 10 minutes before entering the water and always avoid areas showing any of these signs.

Can you spot the rips seen here at Piha?

READ: The NZ Herald article 'Panic the worst danger in rips say lifeguards'

Panic the worst danger in rips say lifeguards.pdf

How to escape from a rip

Stay calm and conserve your energy. If you are a weak swimmer, float with the current and try to swim parallel to the shore until reaching the breaking wave zone, then swim back to shore or signal for help. If you are a strong swimmer, swim at a 45 degree angle across the rip in the same direction as the current until you reach the breaking wave zone, then return to shore.

After a short swim, it pays to probe with your legs to see if a sand bar has formed near the edge of the rip.

If in trouble:

Don’t panic
Relax
Feel for the bottom
Float on your back
Raise your hand

Danger! Rip currents.pdf

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