Explainer on how to survive a Rip current and how to safely deal with being caught within one
DESTIN, Fla. – A 40-year-old man and his son were visiting Destin, Florida, when they were pulled from shore by a rip current on Friday.
The two were swimming at James Lee Park when a rip current swept them away, with the father being pulled into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
They noted that the two were recovered and then taken to a Destin emergency room. The boy was in stable condition as of Friday evening, but his father passed away.
Rip current flag.
(JAYDEE LEE SERRANO / AFP / Getty Images)
The incident brings the total number of rip current deaths in the U.S. to at least 35, according to the National Weather Service.
Rip currents kill an average of 100 people in the country every year, according to Dr. Gregory Dusek, NOAA Oceanographer and creator of NOAA’s first-ever national rip current forecast model.
He provides the following guidance, should anyone find themselves caught in a rip current:
- Stay calm.
- Call and wave for help to get the attention of a lifeguard on duty.
- Do not try to swim back to shore, as this involves swimming against the strong rip current. Doing so will only make you tired.
- Swim parallel to the shore, or along the beach, and then follow breaking waves back to shore at an angle.
Swimmers are advised to swim parallel to the shoreline if caught in a rip current.
(FOX Weather)
Dusek also made the following recommendations so those planning to spend time in the water can avoid the dangers of rip currents:
- Always check beach conditions, including wave forecasts. If waves are expected to be 2 feet or higher, strong rip currents are a possibility.
- Remember that rip currents often occur at low tide.
- Look for any color-coded flags displayed on the beach, which are used to warn visitors of any rip current risk that day.