What to do if you get caught in a riptide

One of the most common mistakes is trying to swim right back to shore.

[wrightsellsrealty]

Oh my gah...I came here to try to conquer my fear and try to learn how to get out of a rip current...only to find out about a ROTATING CURRENT!?! 😮
I'm never getting into the water...

[Bitesandbalance]

They gave us the key to beat a rip current and Mother Nature upgraded to rotating currents. Wtf

[shawngregory]

In other words…..if you’re caught in a rotating current you’re screwed.

[petermello]

Becoming a good swimmer is a very valuable tool.

[xspyder]

Fun fact: I actually was able to escape one when I was 8 years old. It was the day I almost died, and I saw nothing but water around me, I was so scared for my life. I fought so hard to get back to shore, at that point the only thing I could’ve done was hope that I was pushing through the right way. And thankfully, I swam back to shore successfully.

[Durtle.]

I was in a riptide today at a beach In California, I was boogy boarding and wanted to back to land but the water kept pushing me in, I was worrying because the waves also were getting bigger, but one of the wave sent me on my board all the way back, one of the most scariest but coolest moments

[papipanda]

I was at manly (Australia) with my mates and we got caught in a riptide and it was my first time. My friend started panic and i tried to help but realise i was gonna drown holding him up so sadly i let go of him and swam against the riptide and made it back to shore. Luckily my brother is a super confident swimmer and manged to grab my mate and swim sideways with him till they got out. It was a close call, i was literally vomiting from the exhaustion

[jamesgames]

This literally saved my life when on vacation in Hawaii. 😱

[Nathan-pplj]

That is the biggest scariest rip I’ve seen. Looks like it’ll pull you out over a mile offshore before rotating back inwards.

[lancemikkel]

"this is when you have the time and capacity to reflect on your life and all the people you did wrong" - interesting to see there is a spiritual component!

[CatieChapman]

Swim perpendicular (90º) to the current. Rips don’t always go straight out to sea, so swimming parallel to shore isn’t always the best advice.

[toastnjam]

I used to do a lot of body surfing on California beaches way back in the 7'0s /80's and got caught in many riptides. I just floated out with the tide until it stopped and swam parallel and then in and I was a average swimmer.

[liukang]

good to know there are rotating rip currents - that IS scary even to me. Always thought it was only straight ones.

[ronalee]

Well, I got caught in one and thankful for two good Samaritans for saving my life, but I have to tell you in the moment I panicked and any of the suggestions and everything that are recommended to you here would totally have gone out of my head. I am not a strong swimmer to begin with, I couldn’t even walk sideways to get away from it. I stick to pools from now on.

[willthepill]

I like to swim in those for fun though

[bsespi]

I think I'm completely done with the ocean. I'm just gonna sit my fat happy ass on the beach or stick to the pool.

[theELEMENTSSurFit]

A little correction: there’s no such thing as a rip “tide.” Tides and currents are distinctly separate phenomena. Tides can definitely affect and even create currents but currents have no effect whatsoever on tides. The proper term is “rip current.”

[michaelmitchell]

Happened to me in Cabo. I'm a very good swimmer. Tried to go directly back to shore. Nearly drowned. Never forget it

[SuperHone]

better to ride the rip out than come back in

[PittheadX]

Captain Obvious doesn't give out real instructions unless you donate to his patreon.