How to Survive a Rip Current

Writing sample from eHow.com May 14, 2008:

How to Survive a Rip Current
By jackiepanda

What do you do if you get sucked into a rip current? Here are a few tips on how to survive a powerful rip current:

Things You’ll Need:

A calm head

Patience

Swimming knowledge

Step1: The first thing you want to do if you find yourself being pulled further and further from the shoreline is to stay calm. If you panic, you will undoubtedly wear yourself down and become exhausted.

Step 2: Calmly, allow yourself to flow with the rip current. Don't fight it. A rip current is a jet of water swiftly flowing away from the shoreline, perpendicular. A rip current may pull you sideways before it pulls you outward.

Step3: Once you get out past the sandbar and the current stops pulling, start swimming sideways until you get out of the current stream. You should be able to swim in towards the shoreline at this point. Allow the waves to help push you to shore.

Step4: If you feel that you are too tired to swim back to shore, call for help or signal by waving your arms in the air. If you see someone in the water who needs help, don't immediately rush into the water. It may be too dangerous for you to try and rescue them. The best thing to do is call for a lifeguard or police for assistance.

Tips & Warnings:

Be aware of your surroundings with landmarks

Don't go into the ocean alone

Only swim when there is a lifeguard on duty

Remain calm if you get caught in a rip current

Swim parallel until you are out of the rip

The number one killer on beaches every year is due to drowning from rip currents. Be aware of the location of rip currents and know how to stay calm in order to escape one.

Resources:
Harris, Tom (n.d.). How Rip Currents Work
National Weather Service (2008). Rip Currents: Break the Grip of the Rip