Rip current safety

Read this page in Spanish

A number of people have drowned in the Pacific Ocean, and experts believe a majority of these deaths happen because people panicked when a rip current pulled them from shore. Nationally, lifeguards rescue approximately 60,000 people from drowning a year, and an estimated 80 percent are caused by rip currents.

Signs of a rip current

• A break in the incoming wave pattern
• A channel of churning, choppy water
• A line of foam or debris moving seaward
• A difference in water color

If caught in a rip current

• Stay calm
• Don’t fight the current
• Swim in a direction following the shoreline (parallel to the shore)
• Float or tread water if you’re unable to escape by swimming. When the current weakens, swim at an angle (away from the current) toward shore.
• If you cannot reach shore, draw attention to yourself. Face the shore, call or wave for help.

Helping someone else

• Many people have died while trying to rescue others caught in rip currents.
• Don’t become a victim yourself. If a lifeguard is not present, shout directions on how to escape the current.
• If possible, throw something that floats to the rip current victim. Call 911.

Further information 

• Three myths about rip currents
• Safety signs for download
• NOAA National Weather Service: How to avoid getting caught in a rip current
• United States Lifesaving Association: Rip currents