What can people do if caught in a rip current?
If caught in a rip current:
- Try to remain calm to conserve energy
- Think of it like a treadmill you can’t turn off. You want to step to the side of it
- Swim across the current in a direction following the shoreline
- When out of the current, swim and angle away from the current and towards shore
- If you can’t escape this, try to fl oat, or calmly tread water. Rip current strength eventually subsides offshore. When it does, swim toward shore
- If at any time you feel you will be unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself: face the shore, wave your arms, and yell for help