Sometimes the danger is so close that you don’t even suspect it. This is exactly what can be said about the most dangerous current, which is called a rip current. It is this that most often takes the lives of people who seem to know how to swim; moreover, such currents occur right off the coast. According to rescuers, they are the cause of most accidents.
A current that can carry away even experienced swimmers
Rips are also called rip currents or rip currents. Because of them, a person can end up in the sea in just a few seconds! Most often, tugs appear where you don’t expect them at all: on shallow beaches with a gently sloping low-lying shore and sandy spits, both in the ocean and in the sea.
And so an unsuspecting person rejoices in the sea and the sun, splashing in the water, when suddenly an unknown force begins to drag him away from the shore. Of course, the first reaction is to row to shore. The swimmer rows hard, but does not approach the coast even an inch. But fighting the sea is not an easy task, and even experienced swimmers run out of strength after a few minutes.
Surprise of appearance
Rip currents usually appear spontaneously. The main reason for their appearance is large masses of water that have accumulated in shallow water. They go out to sea along a peculiar trajectory: not in a wide front, but as if along a trench, somewhat reminiscent of a river that heads far out to sea. The wider this trench is (and it can be from 3 to 20 meters wide), the higher the flow speed will be (up to 3 m/s). And such a flow can take with it not only a child, but even a heavyweight.
How to calculate rip current
In fact, it is quite simple to understand whether there is a rip current. And here are the main signs:
- a gap of up to 5-10 meters is visible in the surf line (in rare cases up to 50 meters);
- if waves encounter the shore with identical foam caps, but in one area there are no such waves, this is the same rip current;
- a real river has appeared near the shore, bubbling and seething, and in it floats various organic debris that carries from the shore;
- a path of water of a different color, which differs from the general sea expanse of a homogeneous sea (that is, for example, the entire sea is turquoise, but there is a white path).
How to get out of a rip
But still, if by chance the rip current could not be seen in advance and you are already being carried out to the open sea, what to do then?
Firstly, do not panic and even relax, let the current carry you out to sea. In most cases, people start rowing against the current, and this is the biggest mistake. Moreover, it will not carry you far: 100-150 meters, no more. And it is not capable of dragging you under water, since the rip is at the very surface. Therefore, it is better to spend the saved energy on the way back to the shore. As the current begins to weaken, you need to swim to the shore, but strictly perpendicular to the current, and after swimming a hundred meters away from it, you can safely return to the shore. Why to the side, you ask? Because there is a possibility that the current will return to the same place.
Well, if it happened that the width of the current was very large and it dragged you too far into the sea, and your strength was running out, then the only option was to wait for rescuers. To do this, it is better to lie on your back and raise one arm, since in this position you can relax and stay on the water longer. Well, a raised hand will be a kind of beacon for rescuers.
Basic rules of conduct on the beach
And, of course, you must always remember about safety and:
choose beaches where there are lifeguards;
do not swim alone, especially on wild beaches;
do not swim at night;
do not swim in the narrow straits between the islands and spits;
Do not leave children unattended in the water.
And yes, on banks where rip currents occur there are usually rip current warning signs and red flags.
In such cases, you need to be extremely careful or not enter the water at all.
Take care of yourself and your loved ones!
What is this? Streams of water brought to the shore by waves accumulate there and, breaking the oncoming waves in a certain place, go back to the sea, dragging with them everything that comes in their way. This is usually a narrow stream of water directed perpendicular to the shoreline. But its strength, size and direction can change depending on external conditions.
Having learned what it is, everyone will want to know where it most often happens.
Where is it? Having scanned the Internet forums, tourist blogs and comments to articles, I picked up a hundred cases of RIPs described by tourists. Here is an example of one of the cases:
Alina(India, 2015):
I fell into such a current in Kerala. Alas, at that time I had no information about him and did everything wrong: I tried to swim to the shore, I panicked and wasted my energy. Then I drank water a couple of times and suddenly saw a lifebuoy in front of me; the lifeguard from the shore realized what was happening to me and swam after me. The memories are terrible, then I couldn’t talk for about 30 minutes, I stuttered wildly when trying to pronounce any phrase, and I was also shaking wildly. I have been a good swimmer since childhood and could never imagine that I would really drown...
Having compiled a list of one hundred cases, I distributed them according to the geography of recreation. As a result of this “unscientific” analysis, it turned out that the largest number of cases with RIPs occurred in Thailand(22 out of a hundred), with 18 on the island of Phuket. In eight cases, tourists swam out of the RIPs themselves, in two, rescuers helped, seven victims were helped by those who were nearby (relatives or strangers), in five cases, tourists drowned.
After studying all the cases, some conclusions need to be drawn:
1. You can swim out of a rip current, but to do this you need to be able to swim well and swim in the right direction. Below is an illustration of how to swim out of RIP.
2. For greater safety, you should swim on beaches where there are lifeguards, be within their visibility range and comply with the requirements of signal flags. In practice, our tourists do not pay attention to warning posters and red flags. You need to be especially careful on wild beaches.
3. Often complete strangers come to help - try to swim next to other vacationers and immediately call for help if you feel that you are being carried away by the current. If you are carried far away, then because of the noise of the surf they will not hear you.
4. Unfortunately, regulations and advice do not always help, and tourists drown quite often. Here are a few accidents taken from the Vinsky Forum (abridged):
Futuramik(01.07.2016):
In Thailand, on the island of Phuket, a 28-year-old Russian man drowned while swimming.
Sergey22(08/15/2016):
A tourist from Russia drowned in the sea on the island of Phuket after ignoring warning red flags.
Fidel castro rus(09/26/2016):
A Russian tourist drowned in the sea near the island of Phuket.
Sergey22(08.11.2016):
A Russian drowned on the beach of Bang Tao (Phuket).
From these reports it is clear that on the island of Phuket alone our tourists drown almost every month. (For reference: in Phuket in 2016, a total of 260 people drowned.)
For other holiday destinations, cases with RIPs showed the following figures (in descending order):
There are 16 cases in the Black Sea (14 in Russia, 2 in Abkhazia).
Indonesia - 13 cases (10 - Bali, 2 - Java, 1 - Sulawesi),
India - 9 cases (including GOA - 6).
Sri Lanka - 4 cases.
Three cases each: Cyprus (Paphos), Greece (2 Crete + 1 Corfu), Israel (2 Haifa + 1 Bat Yam).
Two cases each: Azov Sea, Baltic Sea (Kaliningrad, Klaipeda), Caspian Sea, Canary Islands (Tenerife), Australia (Sydney), USA (Florida, California).
Isolated cases can be ignored. In Turkey and Egypt, there were no cases with RIPs on the list, but this does not mean that they are not there at all.
Anticipating criticism regarding the reliability of the data, their representativeness and compliance with the theory of correlation and regression analysis, I agree in advance with all the comments: the reliability of the described cases was not checked, the total attendance of the countries was not taken into account, individual cases cannot characterize the situation in the countries as a whole.
For example, one case on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands does not reflect the real danger of local RIPs, intensified by underwater currents.
Only two cases in Australia are associated with low tourist flow in this direction. It should be added that RIPs are considered the main danger on Australian beaches. The Australian Coastal Rescue Service counted 17,000 RIPs along the entire coast of the mainland.
The situation is similar in the USA (2 cases) and South America (single cases).
Safety rules at sea can be printed on the website in the form of leaflets:
No. 1 How to swim out of a rip current (pdf, A5 format).
No. 2 What is a rip current (pdf, A4 format).
If you print these leaflets on both sides of the sheet, you can get two leaflets of half the size.
03 August 2015Usually, when we learn that during the holiday season someone drowned in the sea near the coast, then. Of course, only one conclusion suggests itself: this man did not know how to swim, or, after drinking a certain amount of alcohol, he decided to freshen up. It’s not surprising: for those who are good swimmers or even just able to stay fairly confident on the water, it’s difficult to understand how to get into trouble, where the depth is sometimes ridiculous and you can fall to the bottom at any moment. But there are times when the cause of trouble is not alcohol or inability to swim.
On any sea coast, be it the Gulf of Mexico, the Black Sea or a lagoon on the island of Bali, you can observe a very dangerous but little-known phenomenon - a rip current, which is often called “dragon” and “rip” (from English rip current). For those who know about this phenomenon and have an idea of what exactly needs to be done when they find themselves in the zone of its influence, it, as a rule, does not pose any particular danger. But those who have never heard and, accordingly, do not know what needs to be done, may not be able to cope with the rip current even if they are first-class swimmers.
What is it? Imagine: you swim from the shore, then turn back, but you cannot reach the shore, despite the fact that you try to swim as much as you can. It’s as if you are “treading water” in one place or, in the worst case, you feel that you are gradually being carried further and further away from the shore. Attempts to change anything lead to nothing, your strength melts away, and you naturally begin to panic.
In order to learn how to cope with this phenomenon, you must first understand how rip is formed. This is a type of sea (ocean) current; its main distinguishing feature is that it always moves at right angles to the coastline. Rips are formed when water flows away from the shore after high tide.
Oddly enough, the greatest danger is posed by rip currents in shallow waters with gently sloping shores, where sand spits, shoals, and islands form. There are a lot of such places, for example, in the Sea of Azov. In such areas, the water, returning to the sea at low tide, encounters obstacles on its way - sand spits. The strait connecting the sea with the estuary is usually very narrow, and therefore the water pressure at low tide increases many times over. As a result, a flow is formed, the speed of which is up to 3 m/s.
In the figure this can be represented as follows.
Thus, during high tide, “corridors” appear near the shore at a certain distance. Waves bring a mass of water, which then returns to the sea at different speeds, forming rips.
As a rule, the width of the “corridor” - ripa - is small, no more than two to three meters. The speed of water movement along this “corridor” is about 4–5 km/h. Such rips do not pose any danger, including for those who absolutely do not know how to float on the water. But there are rips about 50 m wide, up to 500 m or more long, and the water speed can reach 15–20 km/h! These kinds of rips can really pose a serious threat even to experienced swimmers.
In order to avoid getting into a rip, you need to know how to recognize it. So, a rip has the following signs:
· a clearly visible strip of seething water extends from the shore into the sea perpendicular to the shore;
· areas with water of a different color or with water covered with foam are visible in the shallows;
· near the shore we can clearly distinguish an area with water that constantly carries foam, seaweed, and bubbles in the direction from the shore to the sea;
· the tidal wave is interrupted in several places by a strip 5 to 10 m wide.
If you see any of the indicated signs, then you are in luck: to avoid danger, it is enough not to go into the water in this place. However, keep in mind that 80% of spontaneously formed rips cannot be visually recognized. Those who do not know how to swim usually go into waist-deep or chest-deep water and splash around in the water, unaware of anything. But since the rip current occurs close to the shore, the rip can be picked up and carried into the open sea even from the shallows. Therefore, if you are a non-swimmer, do not swim alone and take warning red flags and signs on the beach seriously.
Now let's look at how to behave if you find yourself in a rip current.
1. The main thing is to remain calm. Remember that people who know what to do when they find themselves in a rip are almost always saved.
2. Use your energy wisely. There is no point in rowing against the current with all your might - you will lose strength, but at best you will remain in place. You need to swim to the side, not towards the shore, but along it. As a rule, the rips are narrow, only a few meters wide, and if you move to the side, you will quickly get out.
3. While moving, analyze the situation. If you are swimming to the side and do not stand still, but the current does not stop, then you are in a wide rip, from 20 m. Do not panic. The wide rip is small in length, and after a few minutes the flow will stop. Swim 50–100 meters to the side and calmly return to the shore.
Remember the following:
The rip will not drag you to the bottom, because it is not a whirlpool or a funnel. The top layer of water, which moves at high speed, pulls from the shore along the surface, and not to depth.
The maximum width of a rip is 50 m, but, as already mentioned, such rips are rare. Usually it is enough to swim along the coastline 20-25 m to swim out of the rip current zone.
The current very soon weakens and loses strength in the place where the waves break. Surfers call this place a line up; it is usually located at a distance of no more than 100 m from the shore.
In a matter of seconds, it can carry a bather far out to sea. How to avoid this?
Lost place
Rips can occur both at sea and in the ocean. More often - on shallow beaches with a flat, low-lying shore. This happens where no one expects - near the shore. A man splashes in the water, enjoying the sun and salty spray, when suddenly he begins to be carried out to sea. The bather panics: he tries to row to the shore, but does not come even an inch closer to it. He rows even harder, but in vain - an unknown force pulls him in the other direction. After several minutes of struggling with the sea, even experienced swimmers have no strength left. Rescuers say that most water accidents involve getting caught in currents like these.
Our information
Rips can also appear spontaneously – where no one is expecting them. This happens due to the fact that large masses of water accumulated in shallow water go back to the sea not in a wide front, but along a kind of trench resembling a river. This is a rip current. It is always directed in the opposite direction from the shore. The wider the gutter, the higher the flow speed (and the width can vary - from 2-3 m to 20 and even more). He is capable of dragging even a heavyweight with him, not to mention a child.Keep your eyes open!
Fortunately, in many cases the rip can be calculated. It’s not for nothing that the current is called a rip current - a gap is actually visible in the surf line. Here are its signs:
- Everywhere the waves roll onto the shore like identical white caps, but in some area there are no waves - only a strip of water, many swimmers go exactly there - they say the sea is calmer there. But this calm is an appearance;
- another picture: in one place, perpendicular to the shore, a seething river has formed, it foams, bubbles, algae floats in it (and they float not to the shore, but from the shore). This river is the rip;
- a sea of uniform color, such as turquoise or blue. However, a path of water of a different color “adjoins” the shore. For example, white, blue or purple. Stay away from this path.
Don't panic!
But what if it was not possible to calculate the rip and you are already being carried away from the shore into the sea? In such a situation, the main thing is not to panic and not lose composure. You can get out of the rip:
- save your energy as much as possible - there is no need to fight the current and row to the shore, it is useless. On the contrary, relax as much as possible - let the river carry you. Don't be alarmed - it won't pull you under the water (this is a surface current!) and won't drag you too far. After 100-150 m, the flow speed should weaken;
- swim perpendicular to the current to escape from the "chute". Having sailed about a hundred meters from the rip, turn towards the shore.
- if the rip is wide and long, and your strength is running out, lie on your back and raise your hand so that the rescuers can see you. Take any position that will allow you to relax and stay on the water for a long time.
Safe Swimming Rules
- Swim on beaches where there are lifeguards.
- Don't do night swims.
- Don't swim alone, especially on wild beaches.
- Do you see warning red flags and signs on the shore that say rip current? Not even a foot in the water.
- Don't leave children alone in the water! Even in shallow water, even if the sea is calm. Stay close.
Lyubava Greshnova:
I really love big waves on the sea or ocean and happily choose hotels that have them. Fortunately, God had mercy on undercurrents... Always check with the tour operator first about whether there are such currents, and then with the hotel owner. You can even chat with the locals. Don't ignore warnings. If the beach is closed, swim in the pool.
According to beach lifeguards, in various cities of Thailand, Russian tourists, like no one else, ignore the rules of behavior on open water, as a result of which incidents involving them are the most common. That is why we want to talk in detail about the danger that sometimes lurks in the azure coastal waters of the kingdom.
Underwater currents, or, as they are designated on warning signs, Rip current, can pose a great danger to a swimmer even at a close distance from the shore (at a depth of waist-deep, and sometimes ankle-deep). In a matter of seconds, they are capable of carrying even the most experienced and strong swimmer far into the open sea. RIPs can be the result of ebbs and flows, or arise due to subsidence of underwater soil, or are formed from monsoon winds - there are many options and sometimes it is very difficult to predict them.
What is the danger?
There are several options for the development of events, depending on how far the person is from the shore.
- The most common is when those who want to splash around in the depths swim far from the shore. After the swimmers have thoroughly enjoyed the open sea, they try to return, but realize that no matter how hard they try, they are not only not getting closer, but are moving even further away from the shore.
- Another option is when, at shallow depths (from ankle to waist), swimmers realize that they are simply unable to get out of the water, and the so-called “squeeze” current (which occurs when a wave rolls away from the shore) draws them to ever greater depths, and from there to the open sea.
- And finally, the third option, when vacationers, also at shallow depths, frolic in the surf and do not monitor its interval. In this case, the first unnoticed wave knocks the swimmer off his feet, the second covers him, depriving him of oxygen and dragging him to greater depths. The man tries to get up, but the next wave covers him again and pulls him away. At some point, the drunk, exhausted and completely disoriented swimmer realizes that there is no bottom under his feet, and he is swept out to sea.
Why do we describe these situations in such detail?
The fact is that even though Russia is washed by 13 seas, the majority of residents of our country are simply not familiar with the nature and laws of the world ocean. It is very difficult for a person who has never lived by the sea to understand how one can drown while knee-deep in water?
In addition, many of our compatriots consider themselves very experienced and strong swimmers - they swim a kilometer in the pool every day in their homeland or even have a sports rank in swimming. And therefore they will definitely cope with some kind of current there.
Still others naively believe that such things can happen to anyone, but not to them. The Russian mentality is very often exacerbated by the influence of alcoholic drinks, without which many cannot imagine resting. The result of all this is a large proportion of Russian tourists among those who drowned off the coast of Thailand.
The case with the girl
For those who still doubt the cunning of the king of the sea, we will give an absolutely incredible story of one girl who decided to take a photo on the shore, standing ankle-deep in water, at a time when the beach was closed for swimming.
In a series of five photographs taken over a period of 30 seconds, one can clearly see how the first wave begins to pull the posing girl into the sea, while the second one is already coming from behind, knocking her off her feet and pulling her even further. In the next frame we see a girl who is completely in the swirling water, already a few meters from the place where she was photographed.
The girl was saved. But there was a lot of commotion on the beach.
How do you know it's okay to swim?
With our article we do not want to say that you cannot swim in Thailand, this is not true. You can and should swim, but first ask local residents and beach workers about the danger and carefully monitor the behavior of the ocean.
Many beaches today have special signs indicating the presence of Rip current. If red flags are posted, this means that swimming is strictly prohibited. Remember, you will not be forcibly held on shore, as they do, for example, in Vietnam. But know that by getting into the water, you risk not only your life, but also the lives of rescuers or other people who, if something happens, will rush to your aid.
It is most likely to fall into the clutches of an undercurrent during the monsoons, which arrive at a certain time. In Phuket, for example, it is May-October. Also, due to different underwater landscapes, beaches have different likelihood of such phenomena occurring. Again, in Phuket, Karon, Surin, Kata, Kata Noi and Nai Harn have a bad reputation in this regard.
Rules of conduct on the water
- Before entering the water, make sure the beach is open for swimming (red flags indicate that swimming is prohibited);
- Don't swim behind the buoys;
- Children should never swim alone at a beach where there may be countercurrent currents;
- Follow the wave cycle. Always keep them in sight;
- When leaving the sea, make sure that the waves coming from behind do not knock you off your feet;
- Have a safety pin in your swim trunks in case your arm or leg cramps.
If you get caught in a Rip current and are carried away from the shore
- Don't try to fight the elements. The very first thing you must do is control yourself and deal with panic.
- Notice the landmarks on the shore so you can figure out where to return later.
- You can choose any of the ways to deal with RIP:
1. Next, slowly, saving energy, begin to swim along the shore, i.e. perpendicular to the flow.
2. Start rowing towards the shore only when you feel that you have swam out of the current or have found yourself in a countercurrent carrying you towards the shore. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to swim quite a lot (300-400 meters, and possibly a kilometer).
Swimming in the coastal waves:
- Ocean waves are longer and more powerful than sea waves. For those who are used to swimming in the sea, this sometimes becomes an unpleasant surprise.
- If you do not know the features of the bottom (you can familiarize yourself with it at low tide), do not go into the sea in the waves. This can result in serious injury.
- Always notice the cycle of waves and keep them in sight.
- If a wave knocks you down and spins you underwater, hold your breath and relax. This way you will save oxygen, and your cerebellum will quickly understand where is down and where is up. When surfacing, remember the wave interval.
Have a safe holiday!
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