Surviving A Rip Current

In the hope that this message helps just one person, will make me happy.

Every year at this time, monsoon season, and the seasonal tropical storms. The water get very unpredictable and have proven fatal to more than one visitor. Today the local radio stations are telling people that the tropical storm coming in today, having worked it's way from the south China sea, wreaking destruction across Vietnam and caused flooding in northern Thailand while winding down is headed our way and has caused all the beaches to be closed.

The issue is what is locally referred to as a rip current or in some countries a rip tide.


The Tourist Police brochure describes a rip currents as being channelized currents of water flowing away from the beach, that typically form at breaks in sandbars. Normally at beaches where the good surfing is, but also found around jetties and piers. They are dangerous as they pull you away from the shore, are unpredictable in strength and can sweep even the strongest swimmer out to sea. I have experienced such a phenomena, albeit rather tame by some standards. There you are standing in water no deeper than your knees when the waves recede from the beach, and the sand below your feet simply vanishes, and the current begins to pull you out. Your instinct is to swim back to shore, but the current is so strong that you tire out very easily.

So what to do?
Ideally you should know how to swim if you are about to go out into the ocean. And if you are simply strolling and feel the sand is shifting, then get back to shore .

First of all, check to see if there are red flags on the beach. This means do not enter the water, no matter how Olympian you may think you are. If there are yellow flags it means the conditions have a degree of danger, so you should exercise caution and be aware that currents change, so when a lifeguard whistle to you and says get out. Then get out of the water. They are actually helping you. And of course best of all do not swim alone, be around people, so if you do get into trouble there is someone who can assist or call for help for you.

Last week, a family on vacation took an evening stroll and swim, in a matter of minutes one of them disappeared, as they all walked out of the water, and his body was found the next day.
Consistently where there have been deaths,  the common media coverage says that they ignored the red flags and/ or the lifeguards.

But if you happen to get caught, regardless of how cautious you were, let the current take you out and do not fight to get back to shore. Call for help if you can. The current will eventually subside. And you may find that you are not in water that is too deep anyway. The rip current was essentially running through a trench. At that time you begin to swim parallel to the beach until you feel the flow is gone and work your way to the shoreline.

The water here is great, the swimming is wonderful, but like anywhere in the world there are some dangers inherint in swimming. The key is to understand the conditions and knowing what to do if things suddenly go wrong.