

Avoiding and Escaping Rip Currents - MarioV
http://mariovittone.com/2010/07/rip-currents/

======
iamelgringo
If you get stuck in a rip current or rip tide, the trick is to not swim toward
the beach against the current. You'll often lose. Swim perpendicular to the
current (parallel to the beach) for a while, until you feel like you're not
getting pulled out to sea any more. Then, swim with the waves back to the
shore.

------
c1sc0
I find it interesting that so many swimming articles have been making the
homepage lately. Sports is an unlikely topic for HN, given the nerd factor and
all, but there are many topics in sports / training theory that are certainly
'gratifying _my_ intellectual curiosity'. Would more articles about sports
tech / physiology be appropriate? Discuss!

------
dasil003
This was even more helpful IMO:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hCZuYzNujI>

------
btilly
This is part of a series. See <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1492835>
for discussion of a previous entry.

------
code_duck
This is a major problem on the Great Lakes, too. Scary because I'm planning on
taking a Lake Michigan swimming trip ASAP but I don't have anyone to come and
swim with me this time :(

~~~
woodall
Here[1] is a piece specifically about the Great Lakes. It comes out of the
2009 Great Lakes Rip Current Conference.

[1] <http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/coastal_communities/rip>

[2]
[http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/newsletter/2004/06/rip_currents_...](http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/newsletter/2004/06/rip_currents_hit_home.html)

\-----

"Rip currents are formed when waves break near the shoreline, piling up water
between the breaking waves and the beach. One of the ways that this water
returns to sea is to form a rip current, a narrow jet of water moving swiftly
offshore, roughly perpendicular to the shoreline. Rip currents can be found on
many surf beaches every day. Rip currents most typically form at low spots or
breaks in sandbars, and also near structures such as groins, jetties and
piers. Rip currents can occur at any beach with breaking waves, including the
Great Lakes."

~~~
code_duck
yeah, it's also forecast to be particularly bad in Lake Superior this year
because the surface water is 10-20 degrees warmer than usual. Good swimming,
except for the whole drowning angle. Thanks for the links.

