Beach Safety: Beachsafe is an online beach safety portal for all Australians and visitors. / Rip Currents

Banner
Beach Safety: Beachsafe is an online beach safety portal for all Australians and visitors. Visiting the beach Beaches near me Rips at the Beach Rock fishing First Aid Info Resources

Visiting the beach > Beach Safety > Rip Currents

Why is it important to know about rip currents?

For any person who visits the beach in their life, it is more than likely that you have been or will get caught in a rip current. The outcome of this experience will depend on your awareness of how to deal with this situation when it happens. Each year 89% of beach rescues and at least 40% of drowning deaths are due to rip currents.

What are rip currents?

A rip current, sometimes referred to as a rip, is a strong current beginning around the shore that runs away from the beach. It may feel like you are in a flowing/moving river.

If you find yourself moving out to sea and you are unable to get back to the beach, it is more than likely you are in a rip current. Not all rip currents flow directly out to sea, some may run parallel to the beach before ultimately heading out to sea.



Idealised schematic of a rip current system



The “Bondi Express” with rip current schematic.

What do rip currents look like?

Not all rip currents look the same but one or more of following natural features might alert you to the presence of one:

  • Darker water, indicating deeper water
  • Murky brown water caused by sand stirred up by faster moving water
  • A choppy or rippled look, when the water around is generally calm
  • In large surf, a smoother surface with much smaller waves
  • An area with a lack of breaking waves on a beach with surf at the time
  • Foam or debris floating out to sea



Overhead view of a rip current.



View of a rip current from the beach.