JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s Severe Weather Awareness Week in Florida, and Tuesday’s hot topic is rip currents.
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While rip currents will not pull you underwater, they will pull you far, far away from the shoreline and into water past where the waves break. It’s deep, it can be murky, and it can be scary.
Rip currents can be fatal, and it’s all due to panic. Let’s dive deep so you understand what a rip current is.
Rip currents pull even the strongest of swimmers away from the shoreline and out to much deeper and sometimes murkier waters. When this happens, the average person tends to panic and that’s when things can take a dark turn, and people can die.
The force of even the smallest rip current is much too powerful for even the strongest swimmer you know to get out of and swim back to shore.
If you get caught in a rip current, understand that you must try and swim parallel to the shore until you’re officially out of the current, then swim at an angle back toward the shoreline. Swim left or right when you’re caught in the current to stay afloat and stay safe. It will eventually let you escape.
The best advice to remember is this: Don’t panic, don’t fight and remain calm. Is that easy advice to act on? No, it’s not. It’s human instinct to panic, but if you panic, things could end very poorly.
You should also know the specific signs of a rip current so you can spot one before you even get in the water.
As you look out you may notice that on either side of the current, waves will be breaking. Also, murky or discolored water due to the current kicking up sand is a true sign as well. Also, foamy lines in the water can be a sign of a rip current.