Photo Credit: NPS
With summer vacation on the horizon, NOAA and the National Park Service (NPS) are alerting beach-goers to the threat of rip currents and how to prevent drowning from their strong and potentially fatal grip.
Rip currents are the leading surf hazard, claiming more than 100 lives per year nationally. For that reason, NOAA and NPS are teaming up to sponsor Rip Current Awareness Week, June 7-13, with the theme Break the Grip of the Rip®.
Rip currents are narrow channels of fast-moving water that pull swimmers away from the shore. Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents are surprisingly strong and swift. They account for more than 80 percent of the tens of thousands of rescues performed by beach lifeguards in the United States annually.
“Every year, more than 75 million visitors come to swim, fish, snorkel, scuba dive, boat and enjoy the wildlife and majestic scenery in the coastal areas of our National Park System,” said Dan Wenk, acting director of the National Park Service. “The National Park Service has a long partnership with NOAA and its National Weather Service to enhance our ability to provide visitors with the latest information on water safety.”
Rip currents can form at all surf beaches so keep these safety tips in mind:
- Check for surf zone forecasts online
- Look for signs and flags posted to warn about rip currents
- Do not swim against a rip current
- Escape rip currents by swimming in a direction following the shoreline until you are free of the rip current
- Never swim alone
Whether visitors head to Fire Island National Seashore, Gulf Islands National Seashore or any of the ten designated national seashores, a few precautions make for memorable visits because of the fun in the water, not because of a near tragedy.
For more info: NOAA Rip Current Safety
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