In the 1960s, I recall learning about rip currents and undertows from the swim instructor at the YMCA swimming program in Oceanside, Calif. To escape rip currents, he emphasized staying calm and swimming parallel to the shoreline. I can remember swimming in Carlsbad as a 12-year-old and experiencing more than a few strong rip currents in a single day. Thanks to his instructions, I overcame them. Every parent should try to enroll their children in swimming lessons, especially those near oceans, and lakes. I lost two friends to swimming accidents. The dangers are real.
I caught a lifeguard's attention in Carlsbad. I noticed him noticing me because I was getting tired trying to swim against a rip current. He signaled me to swim down (south) and then in. I was embarrassed, but thankful, so I walked back up the beach to tell him so. I grew up in Oceanside and should have known better.
I’m a former beach life guard. The news needs to stop telling people how to ‘swim out of the current’ most people are not strong swimmers to even try doing this. But they hear this advice and think it’s easy. Double red flags mean stay out. Period. I feel sorry for the lifeguards. These people are putting the guards lives in danger for no reason other than hubris and stupidity.
Native Floridian here. I was at the beach at Guana State Park on the east coast and I actually saw a woman and her son were wearing a life vest. I thought that was brilliant. As a native Floridian we never ventured into the water that far. And for our children we kept them as life vest on I would not let them go past her waist without guarding them like a hawk standing right next to them. You lifeguards are amazing I really thank you for doing that job! However there are no life guards on that beach any longer so that's a big problem too.
Swim at an angle with the rip tide farther out to sea. You will escape easier then having to fight the pushing forces as you looking toward the beach.👍
The last thing I want to do is swim with the current farther out...Though this animation felt like it was saying to save energy swim out and to the side at a 45 rather than being parallel. The signs make it seem like you should swim parallel with the beach and if anyone has swam in a river I have always jutted perfectly towards the shore but maybe I should have done it closer to a 45 degree angle with the current and it could have saved me energy?!
If you ever find yourself in a rip, first and foremost, stay calm. Second, if you have the energy and you’re a decent swimmer, swim parallel to the beach. You’ll be swimming out of the current and into the waves. The waves will push you in. Or, if you’re too tired or not a strong swimmer, float on your back to conserve energy, focus on your breathing, and let the current take you out and around. Rip currents don’t pull you all the way out to sea as most people believe. The current will eventually take you back around to the sandbar where the waves start to break. People often think that the waves are more dangerous than the calm areas in between the waves, but it’s actually the opposite. And pay attention to the flags! They are there for a reason. If you’re not sure, ask a lifeguard if you’re at a beach that has lifeguards.
I grew up surfing in the South China Sea, so I had a lot of different experiences swimming and surfing in the ocean. But nothing prepared me for - or surprised me more - than being caught in a riptide on a south Alabama beach, not far from Panama City. It was really terrifying. I felt like I was flying 20 mph out to sea while being carried by this current. Those riptides are no joke. The other mistake I made was swimming alone. There were people walking on the beach who I called out to, but they couldn’t hear me. So it was up to me to save myself. Luckily I remembered to swim parallel to the shore and using that as my guide, I was able to get out of the rip current.
Thank you for sharing your experience,my daughter and son-in-law were just on vacation in Gulf Shore’s Alabama 2 weeks ago and I kept telling my daughter to PLEASE be careful but of course I’m only her mother who doesn’t know anything so of course I’m sure she didn’t listen to me but luckily they came home safe but I’m definitely sharing this news story with her and hopefully may she will listen to it and strangers comments on just how dangerous this is
Yeah man! If you've never experienced one it's frightening. I'm a Florida local and I try to teach the out of towners how to deal with it and alot of times they think they're to cool to listen. If I'm in your backyard I'll hear you out about the dangers. Nothing wrong with learning from a local. Just trying to help.
Swam competitively from 13 to 18, first time in the ocean I felt great until I couldn't swim back to shore no matter how hard I tried. I was freaking out then my buddy yelled to swim parallel to the shore then I swam ashore in no time fairly easily. Wild stuff.
I was at waistline water level and a rip current still pulled me in! One second I was standing on sand and the next a giant hole was beneath me! Back then, a kid, I didn't even know what was happening. Yes I did freak out, Yes I swam against the current, Yes I got tired. Almost an hour in the water I was about to give up until a lone surfer out of nowhere appeared and helped me. It's a miracle I survived.
I got taken down by an undertow once when visiting Gulf Shores, AL. If I had panicked, I would certainly have drowned. I was lucky in that I was not very far from shore when it happened, and I kept my head and swam with the current until it weakened enough for me to turn about and then the tide pushed me back in toward shore. It was a completely unexpected experience and I just went with instinct and stayed calm, and that's how I survived.
Just remember, you can float in salt water. Lay on you back and lightly kick you feet and go with the current when it takes you. Always try to move parallel with the shore but most importantly, go with the rip current. It will eventually stop pulling you out to sea. Were talking about a football field distance from shore. Once it's done pulling you, start swimming back towards shore and ride back in with the waves. I've been in so many rip currents and undertows I lost count. Being from Florida, I grew up going to Jax Beach, and they have some wicked rip tides out there.
@jblaze600 You got it👍 I wouldn't recommend swimming out into the ocean if someone can't swim good. The tide can change rapidly from calm to pulling you. I see people that like to wade waist deep in the water, but this can also become dangerous for them out there as the current can start to pull you. Stay safe out there.
@stefpix I wish they would teach people in schools these types of things. There's people in middle America who have never seen the Ocean. If they go on a vacation and go into the water like it's some kind of big lake, their going to be at risk if something happens. That's why I always leave a comment on videos like this in hope anyone reading it will remember my words if they are ever in this situation. If i can save at least one life, that's someone who can go back to their family at the end of the day.
@@itzamia I live in nyc, and i am surprised with all its coastline, they do not teach any ocean swimming classes. The lifeguards keep you close to shore, they do not let people swim at their own risk. So many locals are scared and unfamiliar with the ocean. Nannying people rather than empowering them. People get too scared of being dragged 200 yards out by a current. It makes them panic. The current is never that strong past the breakers.
@stefpix I live in CT now and because of Long Islang, the sound is usually calm.. no waves, not much of a current, and the people that swim have a net they can't go past. Though this helps keep people safe, it's nothing compared to the open ocean, especially in Florida. What makes it even more dangerous is the water can be relatively calm, and then turn on you within a few hours. This is what can catch people off guard, and become deadly.
Happened to me, I been a swimmer since I was a kid, and I got a little to far out, it wasn't really intentional, I just was little over confident and kept slowly going further out saying to myself ill be cool, I can swim and a current caught me and at first I started to try and swim back, my heart was rushing like crazy and It kept taking me further out and under, and I thought to myself this is it, im dead, I said in mind since this is it, I said to myself, let me relax and let go and that's what saved my life. I preserved all my energy and calm my mind. As soon as I felt it stop, I started to swim back, it took all my energy and adrenalin to get back. If I kept trying to fight it and kept freaking out, it would be over.
This happened to me when I was 8 at panama city beach. I was floating in a large black inner tube and kept going further away from the beach. I kicked with all I had and couldnt understand why I went the other way. Pretty soon the high rise hotels were the size of the people you see in these pictures. This is no lie, I was in the shipping lane where ships were.. They did not see me. Once I hit a current going back to shore, I very rapidly made it back safely. A guardian angel swam with me that day.
@Jordan-ox7wb I'm telling you that it did happen. I don't make up stories like that. It happened to me and if you don't believe it that's ok. I've never been a person that lies about such things. It was terrifying for me.
Finally, they actually tell you how to not die. Animation was wrong though (swimming out to sea, yeah no.). Always swim parallel to the shore until you're out of the current. I was in one once. No life jacket, no one around, in a foreign country... I felt the bottom and it the shore was shooting away from me. I was tempted to panic and swim to the shore but then fortunately I remembered my scuba training and swam parallel to the shore. I was out of it in about a minute, then I made my way back to shore, walked back to my cheap $6/night hostel and contemplated what I was doing with my life...
We have a beach up north that's notorious for being extremely dangerous with lots of rip currents. Went once never again because it took me and I almost died.
My girlfriend and I got caught in a rip current at Daytona Beach last week. We didn't even realize it until we were a good ways out. Luckily we were able to swim parallel to the beach and get back to shore.
Thank you!! I didn’t know. I’m moving to upstate NY soon, and my family wants to go to the lakes but my sis has a three year old and I’ll definitely get her a life jacket! Thanks again
@@Emiliapocalypse Glad to be of help. I remember during the late eighties l decided to ride my motorcycle up to lake Erie and watch the waves. When I got to the state park they wouldn't let me in. They said a teenage girl had drown. If I remember the waves were high, so yes be careful.
We have the same issue here in the Great Lakes. People do not realize the Lakes generate rip currents too. Every summer there are drownings, from locals & out of state folks. Please heed all warnings & flags.
@@tamaramorton8812 ...sure do. Every year we have numerous deaths. Most folks think..this is ONLY A LAKE. INLAND SEAS, SORRY. We have deaths from around the country by folks who come to vacation & get caught( & lots of local folks too.Who should know better.) Michigan has more shoreline than the Eastern coast, only Alaska has more. Lake Michigan alone has app.400 miles of coast( that's just on the Michigan side.) Depths range up to 1,000 feet. Don't ever under estimate the Lakes.
I was caught in a rip in Florida. Sucked me out a few hundred yards. I was always very cautious after that. Was on the South shore of Lake Ontario years later and the waves were knarly. I didn't think anything of it because well "the great lakes don't have tide". I was in knee deep water and it pulled me off my feet and took me out further than my previous experience in the salt. I was very lucky that day some kid was out tooling around in the swells on a jetski and pulled me back ashore.
Another problem is people panic when they are being taken out deeper and deeper and then anxiety and fear starts to kick in about sharks when they are pulled out passed the breakers and into deep water. That's the problem with letting the rip current pull you out until you can swim away from it and swim in. I know that's what would happen to me. I'd start to panic thinking of sharks as you are getting pulled further and further out so your natural reaction is to try to fight the current in a panic.
Yes, that and the waves get a lot stronger.. you get salt water in your eyes and nose and get disoriented when waves knock you around underwater. That’s what happened to me when I nearly drowned as a teen. It was exhausting just trying to stay afloat, much less swim.
That was my reaction when I got caught in a rip current in RI. There was a lifeguard on the high chair directly in front of me so I tried my all (late twenties) to swim in waving my arms and it got her attention. Panic did set in when I was exhausted. Knew beforehand I’m supposed to swim sideways, but I felt very uncomfortable being taken out deep.
@johnnywishbone1349 Holy crap small world buddy....I'm a RI native! What are the odds lol. Not sure if you're a patriots fan or not but Ryan mallet our draft pick back up qb drown recently from this. Really sad and was so young and fit
People shouldn’t only be mad at the lifeguards and beach owners, it’s also important to be aware of your surroundings when your at the beach. Giant waves,Rip currents,Jelly fish and many other things are stuff you should know about before going to a beach
My friend with asthma and i got pulled out from a current when we were 13. Within seconds we floated away from her dad - all we could see is his tiny head floating above water. Everyone on the beach was standing and staring. One lifeguard came out and helped my friend. Thankfully i'm a decent swimmer and was able to follow... but definitely one of the scariest experiences in the ocean.
Please keep in mind that it only takes one large wave to knock a child down under the water. In choppy water, you can't see them to grab them back up. Please consider having young children wear lifeguard approved life preservers at the beach. Even if they are only going in to their knees, a rouge wave can still come out of nowhere knocking them down or out of your arms. A bright colored life preserver also helps greatly in keeping an eye on them.
The last post is very good advice.... I've been caught in rip currents several times and swimming laterally has always been the correct thing for me. You will feel a spot where it isn't pushing you outward any longer. I've lived in Panama City for years.
My brother & I were sucked out to sea on a rip tide, it happened fast, it was kinda like a Cedar Point ride, you were close to shore then in seconds out a ways.. he was smart enough to tell me to follow him we swam back vertical ways , glad no sharks ate us to make matters worse.
@@aisha2370 I had never heard of a rip tide I was only about age 13 to 14, glad my brother knew what they were and what to do, it was 'fun' to have this current pull us out really fast, I will have to admit that. :)
People need to stop getting in the water if they can’t swim - the ocean is NOTHING like pools, the ocean is unrelenting and unforgiving don’t mess with it unless you have the skills to do so.
Learned from a Air national guard PJ at the YMCA how to swim as a kid. He always told us swimming against a rip was a recipe for death. Lay on your back and let the current pull you out, conserve energy and swim back at a diagonal with the tides after the current relents. As an ocean swimmer on Atlantic coast in later years, that advice saved my life four times. People freak out and swim themselves to death, it's unfortunate.
This exact thing happened to me my first and only trip to the beach. Was totally unaware of these existing and I got brave and went out a bit farther than I had been, Before I knew it my attempts of getting back to shore felt like it put me FURTHER from shore. By the time i made it back in I was about 300 yards down the beach from where I entered lol Definitely earned a new respect for the ocean that day!!
How terrible. Two dead children in my town here in England not so long ago for the same reason. We need to teach people how to get out of rio currents when they are learning to swim. There is a way out but few people with little experience in the water would ever know what to do. My heart goes out to the families 😢
Rip currents taking out more folks than sharks. Swim sideways, stay calm and most important don't get in the water when they say don't get in the water
I did it once when I was like 10 and I swam far into the ocean and finally i planted my feet and got out i kept trying to swim at first to no avail;and then finally i plant my feet and then wait for the wave to pass and just slowly get out
swimming against rip current is like running along the path of a falling tree trunk. you're supposed to swim perpendicular to the current. it might be disorienting but it can save your life.
?... been to Florida many of times wasn't rough enough in my opinion just boring lake type water waves. I only like to go when a hurricane is coming in the coming days.
Basically the rip current is the force of the amount of water being pushed into the biggest wave of the set the current; can pull you out and over the smaller unbroken 0.5 to 1ft waves to the one that's occasionally be 5ft+, it's best to always have a bodyboard or surfboard before entering the water with those flags up and prepare for the potential of a wipe out
I hope more people watch this video and learn. A rip current almost killed me in 2017, and at that time I didn’t know what it was. I tried to swim against it (towards the beach) until I was exhausted. Good thing I had my snorkeling mask with me, which gave me a few extra minutes of breath. Eventually, I somehow decided to swim DIAGONALLY towards the beach, and this seemed to cut the current’s power (as I wasn’t directly against it) enough for me to reach the beach. It was a very close call. The most common expert advice is to swim parallel to the beach, in order to get away from the current, then try again to swim directly towards the beach. I just shared what worked for me (diagonal), but the expert advice is probably the better strategy. PS. I learned something new in this video: that rip currents are more prevalent around sand bars. It was in fact at a sand bar where my experience happened.
I think I would need to stop in that sandbar for a stiff drink after a rip Current battle. Then never go in a ocean again. After all, they are only graveyards and toilets.
Someone's comment a while back with a bunch of likes also said to look for bubbles that means there's a rip current in that general area.. don't know how true this is but he had a bunch of likes so I'm assuming there's some merit behind it.
@JohnnytNatural yeah, I saw that too... just don't know how I feel about that. All I know is I didn't take it serious and I almost died myself. Actually, I was going under and just so happened I made it just far enough that I caught my tippy toes in the sand. I didn't know about the diagonal swimming, etc. I just arrogantly brushed it all off like it was a stop sign at a supermarket.. nobody stops at those. Ha
I grew up in North Miami Beach Fl and I was 10 minutes by car from Newport Beach. I have been in undertows and rip currents. I can tell you how many times I have been caught in them and ended up 2-3 hundred yards down the beach from my friends cuz I had to swim parallel to the shore which is what you have to do. I even used to go swimming in the Jedi or people Haulover Inlet all in and out of the rocks back in the day looking for fish and critters as a teen with my brothers. I even swam across the bay to beer Can Island from FIU North via snake creek back in the day to get my Merit Badge for the boy scouts at 15 years old. That was a swim too.....
The most important skill I learned as a beach swimmer in New England was how to float on my back. We often floated our way out of currents and we would yell to our friends to watch out for the current. The absolute worst thing you can do is panic, but most visitors to the beach have little to no experience in those situations, so feeling that power can be very scary.
It should be a legal offence to swim when the red flags are flown and whoever swims should be severely penalised or jailed that they never even think of doing so. Only solution to the problem.
Oh my God! I've never heard of so many being pulled out by rips. When it happens, swim parallel to the beach! Then slowly swim in.... its happened to me.
I know I'm going out on a limb here but if you see double red flags, I think it's a good sign that you shouldn't be swimming at that time. People risk their lives and the lives of the lifeguards needlessly by going into the water anyway.
Should be mandatory that all Americans learn how to identify a rip current and other beach/ocean risks. We have enough beach tourism for it to be actually useful. Tourists are at most risk because they don't typically know all that the locals do.
I did a spring break gig in Panama City for 3 weeks and I never so much as put my feet in that water. It is very dangerous and everyone who went in, quickly found out just how dangerous.
Words of wisdom to the wise young people. The ocean doesn't care how well you can swim. There plenty of dead well swimmers who allowed their ego to get them into a situation they couldn't handle, I don't know anyone who can drink that much water in one setting. If you see and/or sense with discernment any signs that tell you not to get in that water you had better honor those signs and never mind how well you can swim. All it takes for those well swimmers is one time and you too will be visiting Davey Jones Locker and that's a fact.
Lol. I was arrogant, full of testosterone, and didn't take it serious myself and almost ended me. Thing was I had a girl with me out there and I started swimming toward shore a couple times and realized I was being pushed farther out to sea. I kinda freaked a little and grabbed her and tossed her toward the shore twice. Somehow by the grace of God I suppose I managed to touch sand on my tippy toes before I went under for good. I would do it again but probably never go out to where I'm not touching the sand anymore. The stupid part is that I didn't scream for help because I felt like a p@$$y and rather drown with dignity. So d'um"b. Lol
I saw 2 young girls in Rio De Janiero get pulled out by a rip current. Lucky there are excellent swimmers on the beach that got to both of them. They told me that the Rip Current is very easy to escape. They showed me by going with me into the rip current and guided me parallel to the beach and eventually out. I liked it so much, I would go back into the rip current 4 or 5 times that day, just to enjoy the fast moving current pulling me out to sea then sideways along the beach. Got out, and right back in. It was like a little water park ride after a while. Weeeeeeeee
Of course most died after ignoring the warnings / no swim signs. All preventable if so many people didnt think they were smarter than the professionals.
Every year. Like fireworks. Many lost fingers the other day, and motorcycle riders slamming pavement with no helmets. Every year. And a mass shooting every weekend.
People forget the ocean is very powerful and that swimming there isn't the same as swimming in a pool. People need at taking warning signs seriously and not enter that water if the beach is closed due to dangerous conditions. Respect the ocean. It's powerful and unpredictable.
mexico did it to me as i dove into water head first into a wave. as a 16 yrs skinny 100 pounder. felt it drag me down longer underwater for 2 seconds longer. Any longer i wasnt prepared. So only had a 2-4 sec breathe held. Very scary. And i think i got out and never went back in for rest of trip. didnt tell parents either. But i knew i could have died. Just a blessing how it only held me down for extra 2 seconds. This was very close to shore. Not a fun feeling. It could have been longer than 5 seconds. I wasnt counting thats for sure. And the waves didnt look massive either. But had lots of sucking power. Like a vacuum for people. Dont play with mother earth. God rest there souls. Rest in paradise
Summer vacations on the Delaware coast going back to the 1950s. We used to call 'em "undertows." Got caught in an extreme one once while on an inflatable raft .. it zoomed me out to sea so fast I couldn't believe it ... the rip was actually turbulent like prop wash!
In the 1960s, I recall learning about rip currents and undertows from the swim instructor at the YMCA swimming program in Oceanside, Calif. To escape rip currents, he emphasized staying calm and swimming parallel to the shoreline. I can remember swimming in Carlsbad as a 12-year-old and experiencing more than a few strong rip currents in a single day. Thanks to his instructions, I overcame them. Every parent should try to enroll their children in swimming lessons, especially those near oceans, and lakes. I lost two friends to swimming accidents. The dangers are real.
R.I.P. 🙏✝️
Thank you for the advice.
I caught a lifeguard's attention in Carlsbad. I noticed him noticing me because I was getting tired trying to swim against a rip current. He signaled me to swim down (south) and then in. I was embarrassed, but thankful, so I walked back up the beach to tell him so. I grew up in Oceanside and should have known better.
I just remember being thrown into the pool multiple times.... But I would agree for the normal day to day risks. Especially if you have a pool.
@@RetNemmoc555 next time wear a neck inflatable life vest! You could have injected water and passed out and drowned.
I’m a former beach life guard. The news needs to stop telling people how to ‘swim out of the current’ most people are not strong swimmers to even try doing this. But they hear this advice and think it’s easy. Double red flags mean stay out. Period. I feel sorry for the lifeguards. These people are putting the guards lives in danger for no reason other than hubris and stupidity.
Native Floridian here. I was at the beach at Guana State Park on the east coast and I actually saw a woman and her son were wearing a life vest. I thought that was brilliant. As a native Floridian we never ventured into the water that far. And for our children we kept them as life vest on I would not let them go past her waist without guarding them like a hawk standing right next to them. You lifeguards are amazing I really thank you for doing that job! However there are no life guards on that beach any longer so that's a big problem too.
What are you suppose to do if you are caught in a rip current? If your not suppose to do what they say to do.
If you're already in a rip current, what are you suppose to do?
Swim at an angle with the rip tide farther out to sea. You will escape easier then having to fight the pushing forces as you looking toward the beach.👍
The last thing I want to do is swim with the current farther out...Though this animation felt like it was saying to save energy swim out and to the side at a 45 rather than being parallel. The signs make it seem like you should swim parallel with the beach and if anyone has swam in a river I have always jutted perfectly towards the shore but maybe I should have
done it closer to a 45 degree angle with the current and it could have saved me energy?!
6 of 7 deaths occured during "No Swimming" conditions, so.
If you ever find yourself in a rip, first and foremost, stay calm. Second, if you have the energy and you’re a decent swimmer, swim parallel to the beach. You’ll be swimming out of the current and into the waves. The waves will push you in. Or, if you’re too tired or not a strong swimmer, float on your back to conserve energy, focus on your breathing, and let the current take you out and around. Rip currents don’t pull you all the way out to sea as most people believe. The current will eventually take you back around to the sandbar where the waves start to break. People often think that the waves are more dangerous than the calm areas in between the waves, but it’s actually the opposite. And pay attention to the flags! They are there for a reason. If you’re not sure, ask a lifeguard if you’re at a beach that has lifeguards.
Thanks for the tips because I’m a weak swimmer.
@@jblaze600 I suggest not swimming in the ocean then. Or if you do only go up to your knees.
@@h.b16Honestly, I don’t go pass my knees. I’m wise enough to know I’m a weak swimmer. Thanks
Thank you
Excellent advice. Thank you.
I grew up surfing in the South China Sea, so I had a lot of different experiences swimming and surfing in the ocean. But nothing prepared me for - or surprised me more - than being caught in a riptide on a south Alabama beach, not far from Panama City. It was really terrifying. I felt like I was flying 20 mph out to sea while being carried by this current. Those riptides are no joke. The other mistake I made was swimming alone. There were people walking on the beach who I called out to, but they couldn’t hear me. So it was up to me to save myself. Luckily I remembered to swim parallel to the shore and using that as my guide, I was able to get out of the rip current.
Thank you for sharing your experience,my daughter and son-in-law were just on vacation in Gulf Shore’s Alabama 2 weeks ago and I kept telling my daughter to PLEASE be careful but of course I’m only her mother who doesn’t know anything so of course I’m sure she didn’t listen to me but luckily they came home safe but I’m definitely sharing this news story with her and hopefully may she will listen to it and strangers comments on just how dangerous this is
good job saving yourself!
Wow 🥹
I’m a weak swimmer and can’t tread water well. I don’t go far out in the ocean, barely at all lol. Can a rip current take me unexpectedly?
Yeah man! If you've never experienced one it's frightening. I'm a Florida local and I try to teach the out of towners how to deal with it and alot of times they think they're to cool to listen. If I'm in your backyard I'll hear you out about the dangers. Nothing wrong with learning from a local. Just trying to help.
Swam competitively from 13 to 18, first time in the ocean I felt great until I couldn't swim back to shore no matter how hard I tried. I was freaking out then my buddy yelled to swim parallel to the shore then I swam ashore in no time fairly easily. Wild stuff.
I was at waistline water level and a rip current still pulled me in! One second I was standing on sand and the next a giant hole was beneath me! Back then, a kid, I didn't even know what was happening. Yes I did freak out, Yes I swam against the current, Yes I got tired. Almost an hour in the water I was about to give up until a lone surfer out of nowhere appeared and helped me. It's a miracle I survived.
I got taken down by an undertow once when visiting Gulf Shores, AL. If I had panicked, I would certainly have drowned. I was lucky in that I was not very far from shore when it happened, and I kept my head and swam with the current until it weakened enough for me to turn about and then the tide pushed me back in toward shore. It was a completely unexpected experience and I just went with instinct and stayed calm, and that's how I survived.
Wear life jacket always
Just remember, you can float in salt water. Lay on you back and lightly kick you feet and go with the current when it takes you. Always try to move parallel with the shore but most importantly, go with the rip current. It will eventually stop pulling you out to sea. Were talking about a football field distance from shore. Once it's done pulling you, start swimming back towards shore and ride back in with the waves. I've been in so many rip currents and undertows I lost count. Being from Florida, I grew up going to Jax Beach, and they have some wicked rip tides out there.
Good tips, thanks because I’m a weak swimmer.
@jblaze600 You got it👍
I wouldn't recommend swimming out into the ocean if someone can't swim good. The tide can change rapidly from calm to pulling you. I see people that like to wade waist deep in the water, but this can also become dangerous for them out there as the current can start to pull you. Stay safe out there.
@stefpix I wish they would teach people in schools these types of things. There's people in middle America who have never seen the Ocean. If they go on a vacation and go into the water like it's some kind of big lake, their going to be at risk if something happens. That's why I always leave a comment on videos like this in hope anyone reading it will remember my words if they are ever in this situation. If i can save at least one life, that's someone who can go back to their family at the end of the day.
@@itzamia I live in nyc, and i am surprised with all its coastline, they do not teach any ocean swimming classes. The lifeguards keep you close to shore, they do not let people swim at their own risk. So many locals are scared and unfamiliar with the ocean. Nannying people rather than empowering them.
People get too scared of being dragged 200 yards out by a current. It makes them panic. The current is never that strong past the breakers.
@stefpix I live in CT now and because of Long Islang, the sound is usually calm.. no waves, not much of a current, and the people that swim have a net they can't go past. Though this helps keep people safe, it's nothing compared to the open ocean, especially in Florida. What makes it even more dangerous is the water can be relatively calm, and then turn on you within a few hours. This is what can catch people off guard, and become deadly.
Between rip currents and malaria, why would anyone even go to Florida?
😂
Happened to me, I been a swimmer since I was a kid, and I got a little to far out, it wasn't really intentional, I just was little over confident and kept slowly going further out saying to myself ill be cool, I can swim and a current caught me and at first I started to try and swim back, my heart was rushing like crazy and It kept taking me further out and under, and I thought to myself this is it, im dead, I said in mind since this is it, I said to myself, let me relax and let go and that's what saved my life. I preserved all my energy and calm my mind. As soon as I felt it stop, I started to swim back, it took all my energy and adrenalin to get back. If I kept trying to fight it and kept freaking out, it would be over.
This happened to me when I was 8 at panama city beach. I was floating in a large black inner tube and kept going further away from the beach. I kicked with all I had and couldnt understand why I went the other way. Pretty soon the high rise hotels were the size of the people you see in these pictures. This is no lie, I was in the shipping lane where ships were.. They did not see me. Once I hit a current going back to shore, I very rapidly made it back safely. A guardian angel swam with me that day.
Lol. Rip currents don’t take you that far. You’d have to be miles out for the high rises to be that small. Definitely didn’t happen.
@Jordan-ox7wb I'm telling you that it did happen. I don't make up stories like that. It happened to me and if you don't believe it that's ok. I've never been a person that lies about such things. It was terrifying for me.
Well, those "guardian angels" seem to be on strike when it comes to most other people!
@@brendaschultz7161I believe you brother some scary stuff
Finally, they actually tell you how to not die. Animation was wrong though (swimming out to sea, yeah no.). Always swim parallel to the shore until you're out of the current.
I was in one once. No life jacket, no one around, in a foreign country... I felt the bottom and it the shore was shooting away from me. I was tempted to panic and swim to the shore but then fortunately I remembered my scuba training and swam parallel to the shore. I was out of it in about a minute, then I made my way back to shore, walked back to my cheap $6/night hostel and contemplated what I was doing with my life...
We have a beach up north that's notorious for being extremely dangerous with lots of rip currents. Went once never again because it took me and I almost died.
You are wise but some people like to live in the edge.
Those red flags are serious.
My girlfriend and I got caught in a rip current at Daytona Beach last week. We didn't even realize it until we were a good ways out. Luckily we were able to swim parallel to the beach and get back to shore.
People need to be aware that the great lakes also have rip tides !
Really? I didn't know that. Thank u. I'll take that into consideration if I ever visit up north
because they are tidal.
Thank you!! I didn’t know. I’m moving to upstate NY soon, and my family wants to go to the lakes but my sis has a three year old and I’ll definitely get her a life jacket! Thanks again
@@Emiliapocalypse note of caution for the great lakes, you are going to love the lamprey.
@@Emiliapocalypse Glad to be of help. I remember during the late eighties l decided to ride my motorcycle up to lake Erie and watch the waves. When I got to the state park they wouldn't let me in. They said a teenage girl had drown. If I remember the waves were high, so yes be careful.
HOW DAFFED DO U HAVE TO BE NOT TO SEE THAT THE SURF CONDITIONS 'CODE RED'?
Beer goggles?
Whew. At least they didn't pay $200K to go into a flimsy tin can to get crushed. This lower level of stupid is totally fine.
We have the same issue here in the Great Lakes. People do not realize the Lakes generate rip currents too. Every summer there are drownings, from locals & out of state folks. Please heed all warnings & flags.
Absolutely true. Lake Erie can be really scary. I’ve had that experience and it’s no joke.
I didn’t know that the Great Lakes had rip tide currents.
@@tamaramorton8812 ...sure do. Every year we have numerous deaths. Most folks think..this is ONLY A LAKE. INLAND SEAS, SORRY. We have deaths from around the country by folks who come to vacation & get caught( & lots of local folks too.Who should know better.) Michigan has more shoreline than the Eastern coast, only Alaska has more. Lake Michigan alone has app.400 miles of coast( that's just on the Michigan side.) Depths range up to 1,000 feet. Don't ever under estimate the Lakes.
I was caught in a rip in Florida. Sucked me out a few hundred yards. I was always very cautious after that. Was on the South shore of Lake Ontario years later and the waves were knarly. I didn't think anything of it because well "the great lakes don't have tide". I was in knee deep water and it pulled me off my feet and took me out further than my previous experience in the salt. I was very lucky that day some kid was out tooling around in the swells on a jetski and pulled me back ashore.
And stay off the piers when waves are crashing! 🌊
I was just down there. Was at Panama city Beach, destin, Pensacola and there were rip currents as strong as I see in the outer banks
Another problem is people panic when they are being taken out deeper and deeper and then anxiety and fear starts to kick in about sharks when they are pulled out passed the breakers and into deep water. That's the problem with letting the rip current pull you out until you can swim away from it and swim in. I know that's what would happen to me. I'd start to panic thinking of sharks as you are getting pulled further and further out so your natural reaction is to try to fight the current in a panic.
Yes, that and the waves get a lot stronger.. you get salt water in your eyes and nose and get disoriented when waves knock you around underwater. That’s what happened to me when I nearly drowned as a teen. It was exhausting just trying to stay afloat, much less swim.
That was my reaction when I got caught in a rip current in RI. There was a lifeguard on the high chair directly in front of me so I tried my all (late twenties) to swim in waving my arms and it got her attention. Panic did set in when I was exhausted. Knew beforehand I’m supposed to swim sideways, but I felt very uncomfortable being taken out deep.
@johnnywishbone1349 Holy crap small world buddy....I'm a RI native! What are the odds lol. Not sure if you're a patriots fan or not but Ryan mallet our draft pick back up qb drown recently from this. Really sad and was so young and fit
People shouldn’t only be mad at the lifeguards and beach owners, it’s also important to be aware of your surroundings when your at the beach. Giant waves,Rip currents,Jelly fish and many other things are stuff you should know about before going to a beach
The ocean doesn't play.
My friend with asthma and i got pulled out from a current when we were 13. Within seconds we floated away from her dad - all we could see is his tiny head floating above water. Everyone on the beach was standing and staring. One lifeguard came out and helped my friend. Thankfully i'm a decent swimmer and was able to follow... but definitely one of the scariest experiences in the ocean.
Please keep in mind that it only takes one large wave to knock a child down under the water. In choppy water, you can't see them to grab them back up. Please consider having young children wear lifeguard approved life preservers at the beach. Even if they are only going in to their knees, a rouge wave can still come out of nowhere knocking them down or out of your arms. A bright colored life preserver also helps greatly in keeping an eye on them.
Thank you for reminding me. I’ve had a pool boxed up for two years. I need to buy safety gear first. I don’t want my kids to drown.
Always a good idea. Thanks for the reminder. We think we keep such a close eye on our children, but all it takes is a blink. Poor families
Nah put them on one of those leashes. That's what responsible parents do. When they are 18 the leash can come off.
@@DirectCashPaymentInfo Did know you could buy a wave pool.
@@jhowardsupporter Wave pool almost murdered me at Six Flags Saint Louis.
The last post is very good advice.... I've been caught in rip currents several times and swimming laterally has always been the correct thing for me. You will feel a spot where it isn't pushing you outward any longer. I've lived in Panama City for years.
My brother & I were sucked out to sea on a rip tide, it happened fast, it was kinda like a Cedar Point ride, you were close to shore then in seconds out a ways.. he was smart enough to tell me to follow him we swam back vertical ways , glad no sharks ate us to make matters worse.
😁 Yeah, sharks eating you would have done that - made matters worse.
@@aisha2370 I had never heard of a rip tide I was only about age 13 to 14, glad my brother knew what they were and what to do, it was 'fun' to have this current pull us out really fast, I will have to admit that. :)
People need to stop getting in the water if they can’t swim - the ocean is NOTHING like pools, the ocean is unrelenting and unforgiving don’t mess with it unless you have the skills to do so.
I've been told swim parallel to the rip
Ignorance is fatal
No one should be in the water during double red flags. It is awful that these people lost their lives.
yeah the punishment should be so severe or jailtime that people never even in their lifetime think about swimming during red flags
Ban all rip currents, put up a rip current free zone and the rip currents should leave immediately.
How sad 🙏
As a swimmer i pay attention to the weather and ocean conditions.
So many ignore the obvious.
I really appreciate the patronage of the tourists that spend their money here, but these red Flags aren't for show.
Learned from a Air national guard PJ at the YMCA how to swim as a kid. He always told us swimming against a rip was a recipe for death. Lay on your back and let the current pull you out, conserve energy and swim back at a diagonal with the tides after the current relents. As an ocean swimmer on Atlantic coast in later years, that advice saved my life four times. People freak out and swim themselves to death, it's unfortunate.
This exact thing happened to me my first and only trip to the beach. Was totally unaware of these existing and I got brave and went out a bit farther than I had been, Before I knew it my attempts of getting back to shore felt like it put me FURTHER from shore. By the time i made it back in I was about 300 yards down the beach from where I entered lol
Definitely earned a new respect for the ocean that day!!
Dont swim against a rip current, swim to the side of the current until you are out of it
Oh no that's horrible.
Prayers to that community from Wyoming °~•.☆.•~°
How terrible. Two dead children in my town here in England not so long ago for the same reason. We need to teach people how to get out of rio currents when they are learning to swim. There is a way out but few people with little experience in the water would ever know what to do. My heart goes out to the families 😢
Rip currents taking out more folks than sharks. Swim sideways, stay calm and most important don't get in the water when they say don't get in the water
I did it once when I was like 10 and I swam far into the ocean and finally i planted my feet and got out i kept trying to swim at first to no avail;and then finally i plant my feet and then wait for the wave to pass and just slowly get out
We better ban
rip currents
I value my life more than water
OMG, I'm so sorry. Everyone needs to be aware of surf conditions. Knowledge of your surroundings is key.
swimming against rip current is like running along the path of a falling tree trunk. you're supposed to swim perpendicular to the current. it might be disorienting but it can save your life.
Swim left!!!!!! Or right!!! Never swim for shore.
Don't come to FL for the beaches. Too rough. Go somewhere else.
?... been to Florida many of times wasn't rough enough in my opinion just boring lake type water waves. I only like to go when a hurricane is coming in the coming days.
Russia has nice beaches. Go there. 😅
Basically the rip current is the force of the amount of water being pushed into the biggest wave of the set the current; can pull you out and over the smaller unbroken 0.5 to 1ft waves to the one that's occasionally be 5ft+, it's best to always have a bodyboard or surfboard before entering the water with those flags up and prepare for the potential of a wipe out
That’s terrifying
Double red flags are there for a reason!
These people 😢. Please don’t risk your life for fun. Be careful, listen to warnings!
Swim back to safety at a 45 degree angle. Can’t believe they didnt say that after explaining how to exit the current.
Stay safe guys we love you 🌞🏖️
Wow. This is horrific
I hope more people watch this video and learn. A rip current almost killed me in 2017, and at that time I didn’t know what it was. I tried to swim against it (towards the beach) until I was exhausted. Good thing I had my snorkeling mask with me, which gave me a few extra minutes of breath. Eventually, I somehow decided to swim DIAGONALLY towards the beach, and this seemed to cut the current’s power (as I wasn’t directly against it) enough for me to reach the beach. It was a very close call.
The most common expert advice is to swim parallel to the beach, in order to get away from the current, then try again to swim directly towards the beach. I just shared what worked for me (diagonal), but the expert advice is probably the better strategy.
PS. I learned something new in this video: that rip currents are more prevalent around sand bars. It was in fact at a sand bar where my experience happened.
I think I would need to stop in that sandbar for a stiff drink after a rip
Current battle. Then never go in a ocean again. After all, they are only graveyards and toilets.
Someone's comment a while back with a bunch of likes also said to look for bubbles that means there's a rip current in that general area.. don't know how true this is but he had a bunch of likes so I'm assuming there's some merit behind it.
@JohnnytNatural yeah, I saw that too... just don't know how I feel about that. All I know is I didn't take it serious and I almost died myself. Actually, I was going under and just so happened I made it just far enough that I caught my tippy toes in the sand. I didn't know about the diagonal swimming, etc. I just arrogantly brushed it all off like it was a stop sign at a supermarket.. nobody stops at those. Ha
Yes they are common wherever there are objects that block the immediate flow of water back to the ocean, like sand bars, piers etc.
I grew up in North Miami Beach Fl and I was 10 minutes by car from Newport Beach. I have been in undertows and rip currents. I can tell you how many times I have been caught in them and ended up 2-3 hundred yards down the beach from my friends cuz I had to swim parallel to the shore which is what you have to do. I even used to go swimming in the Jedi or people Haulover Inlet all in and out of the rocks back in the day looking for fish and critters as a teen with my brothers. I even swam across the bay to beer Can Island from FIU North via snake creek back in the day to get my Merit Badge for the boy scouts at 15 years old. That was a swim too.....
I’m from key west…..you tourist need to just away from the beach all together if u don’t understand or respect the incredible force of the ocean.
The most important skill I learned as a beach swimmer in New England was how to float on my back. We often floated our way out of currents and we would yell to our friends to watch out for the current. The absolute worst thing you can do is panic, but most visitors to the beach have little to no experience in those situations, so feeling that power can be very scary.
It should be a legal offence to swim when the red flags are flown and whoever swims should be severely penalised or jailed that they never even think of doing so. Only solution to the problem.
Oh my God! I've never heard of so many being pulled out by rips. When it happens, swim parallel to the beach! Then slowly swim in.... its happened to me.
RIP Ryan Mallett
How tragic condolences to all of the families & friends. Always heart breaking. Such a good place too.
Florida is not a good place!
i would like to have seen how the dye flows out with the rip tide. thanks.
I know I'm going out on a limb here but if you see double red flags, I think it's a good sign that you shouldn't be swimming at that time. People risk their lives and the lives of the lifeguards needlessly by going into the water anyway.
I grew up landlocked. We're retired to Florida. This is one of many reasons I'll NEVER go into the ocean. I'll stick with our pool!
How about no swimming at beaches at all......just admire the view and go home. If you must swim.....run a bath at home and use your imagination.
My daughter drowned in a rip current in Costa Rica. So dangerous.
I'm so sorry to hear that
When it gets like this you already know people refuse to listen close the beach until it safe due to death toll.
Should be mandatory that all Americans learn how to identify a rip current and other beach/ocean risks. We have enough beach tourism for it to be actually useful. Tourists are at most risk because they don't typically know all that the locals do.
Don't go in the water when double red flags are flying at the beach!
You don't ever swim DIRECTLY BACK TO SHORE.
If you’re in a rip current swim sideways instead of trying to swim in the rip tide
I did a spring break gig in Panama City for 3 weeks and I never so much as put my feet in that water. It is very dangerous and everyone who went in, quickly found out just how dangerous.
I've swam in Panama City Beach plenty of times. It's only dangerous when red flags are out or if you don't know how to swim
Words of wisdom to the wise young people. The ocean doesn't care how well you can swim. There plenty of dead well swimmers who allowed their ego to get them into a situation they couldn't handle, I don't know anyone who can drink that much water in one setting. If you see and/or sense with discernment any signs that tell you not to get in that water you had better honor those signs and never mind how well you can swim. All it takes for those well swimmers is one time and you too will be visiting Davey Jones Locker and that's a fact.
IF CAUGHT UP SWIM PARALLEL TO THE BEACH.
DO NOT SWIM DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE BEACH OPPOSITE OF THE FLOW OF THE RIP CURRENT.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Rip those seven people...
This is so sad prayers for the family
"I don't even know why people go to Florida. It's so dangerous." -the comments if this would have been in another country
I'm going there tomorrow . So sad people are dying at the beach. During hot months the waves are bigger on windy days .
How nice to live near waters
I got stuck in a bad rip current about 15 years ago and haven’t been in the ocean since. It was terrifying.
Lol. I was arrogant, full of testosterone, and didn't take it serious myself and almost ended me. Thing was I had a girl with me out there and I started swimming toward shore a couple times and realized I was being pushed farther out to sea. I kinda freaked a little and grabbed her and tossed her toward the shore twice. Somehow by the grace of God I suppose I managed to touch sand on my tippy toes before I went under for good. I would do it again but probably never go out to where I'm not touching the sand anymore. The stupid part is that I didn't scream for help because I felt like a p@$$y and rather drown with dignity. So d'um"b. Lol
I saw 2 young girls in Rio De Janiero get pulled out by a rip current. Lucky there are excellent swimmers on the beach that got to both of them. They told me that the Rip Current is very easy to escape. They showed me by going with me into the rip current and guided me parallel to the beach and eventually out. I liked it so much, I would go back into the rip current 4 or 5 times that day, just to enjoy the fast moving current pulling me out to sea then sideways along the beach. Got out, and right back in. It was like a little water park ride after a while. Weeeeeeeee
riptides are rarely more than 20 feet across. swim on an angle to the side and you'll pop out.
@Berley_1234 Indeed it is. And pretty easy to do as well. Deaths are chiefly related to people's ignorance.
Of course most died after ignoring the warnings / no swim signs. All preventable if so many people didnt think they were smarter than the professionals.
So sad.
God BLESS thier SOULS in JESUS name Amen
I got caught in a nasty rip current before on the east coast of Florida. I swam with it, it never let go until I hit land in Portugal.
That sucks
The only vacation I ever went on was Panama City Beach in 2015. I hated it.
When I was very young I was swimming at Panama City beach and a current, in an instant, took me far away from shore and my dad saved me.
Every year. Like fireworks. Many lost fingers the other day, and motorcycle riders slamming pavement with no helmets. Every year. And a mass shooting every weekend.
From Rip...to R.I.P.
Rips are not a joke. Swim parallel to shore. Not towards it.
People forget the ocean is very powerful and that swimming there isn't the same as swimming in a pool. People need at taking warning signs seriously and not enter that water if the beach is closed due to dangerous conditions. Respect the ocean. It's powerful and unpredictable.
mexico did it to me as i dove into water head first into a wave. as a 16 yrs skinny 100 pounder. felt it drag me down longer underwater for 2 seconds longer. Any longer i wasnt prepared. So only had a 2-4 sec breathe held. Very scary. And i think i got out and never went back in for rest of trip. didnt tell parents either. But i knew i could have died. Just a blessing how it only held me down for extra 2 seconds. This was very close to shore. Not a fun feeling. It could have been longer than 5 seconds. I wasnt counting thats for sure. And the waves didnt look massive either. But had lots of sucking power. Like a vacuum for people. Dont play with mother earth. God rest there souls. Rest in paradise
I really don't get it. It's salt water. You can float. It's a narrow current. You could just about move out of it by accident. Just not a big deal.
All that fresh water, pouring in causing chaos in the depths.
What are the lifeguards doing at these beaches? Are there lifeguards on duty?
Summer vacations on the Delaware coast going back to the 1950s. We used to call 'em "undertows." Got caught in an extreme one once while on an inflatable raft .. it zoomed me out to sea so fast I couldn't believe it ... the rip was actually turbulent like prop wash!
I cannot stand announcers who sound excited to talk about " news worthy" deaths.