Rip Tides

[Feralpeg]

Folks, if you decide to visit the Atlantic while on vacation in Florida, please check on the rip tides! So sad! It seems like every other day I hear a news report about someone drowning due to a rip tide. Most of the time, they are tourists. I just heard about a 52 year old woman from Connecticut. It just breaks my heart to think about her poor family. They were supposed to be having fun.

They are rip tides all the time along the Atlantic side. They post warnings, but check with the lifeguards before you go for a swim!

 

[3lilprincesses]

very sad. i am afraid of rip tides! every summer when we go to the beach in NC, i always warn our whole group of about 20 people -- swim parallel to the shore if you should get caught in one. don't know if i'd remember to do this, but i figure if i keep saying it, maybe we'll all remember!!

 

[Thea]

Thanks for the warning. We will be sure to be carefull when we hit St. Augustine beach in 20 days.

We have the same problem here on the other side of the atlantic. Tourists comes from all over Europe and don't know the power of the northern atlantic.

Thea

 

[floridagirrl2]

I think the rip tides are even worse in some areas on the Gulf side. The Pensacola area has had over 30 people die in rip tides over the last few years. I just want to make sure that people visiting Gulf beaches don't have a false sense of security! Don't swim if there are red flags, and I would suggest only swimming in areas near a lifeguard.

 

[bctripp]

We were down in Daytona and I was terrified to let my little girls get past their knees in the water, or even 5 feet away from me. I grew up in GA 45 minutes from the beach, and there was always the same type of reports on the news.

 

[NotUrsula]

For good rip current info, see these pages from the Nat'l Weather Service. Look at the "signs" pages for photos of what rip currents can look like as the waves break. http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/

BTW, you don't have to have a tidal body of water for a rip current to form; the Great Lakes have some of the nastiest I've every seen, and the dropoffs tend to be much steeper than on a tidal beach. Swimming near any kind of artificial structure such as a pier or jetty increases the risk.