Skip to main content

How to get out of a rip current, according to a pro

Learn these steps before you really need to know them

Life guard on duty - Jimmy Minardi, founder of East End Ocean Rescue
Fall Media Group

Nothing can ruin a beach day quite like getting caught (or injured, or worse) in a rip current. Every guy should know how to spot and escape a rip current, whether you’re swimming at a protected beach manned by a Baywatch team or exploring an uncharted cove.

What is a rip current?

Rip current warning sign
Jeff Greenberg / Getty Images

Rip currents are strong, narrow channels of water that flow rapidly away from the shore at ocean beaches. They can be dangerous for swimmers because they can pull even strong swimmers out to sea. Here is more detailed information on rip currents.

  • Formation: Rip currents occur when water piles up near the shore from breaking waves. This water then seeks the quickest way back out to sea, forming a narrow channel that cuts through the breaking waves and flows swiftly offshore.
  • Strength and speed: Rip currents can be surprisingly strong, moving at speeds of up to 8 feet per second. Their width can vary, but they’re typically narrow, ranging from a few feet to 50 yards wide.
  • Location: Rip currents are prevalent along surf beaches, including those on the East Coast, Gulf, and West Coast of the U.S., as well as the Great Lakes. They can form near breaks in sandbars, jetties, piers, or anywhere along the shore where there’s a channel for water to flow back out to sea.
  • Misconceptions: Rip currents are sometimes mistakenly called rip tides. Rip tides is a misnomer entirely. It’s important to use the correct term “rip current” to avoid confusion.
Recommended Videos

These powerful, unpredictable, channeled currents can be deadly. The U.S. Lifesaving Association estimates that the U.S. sees more than 100 deaths because of rip currents every year; these currents account for over 80% of rescues performed by beach lifeguards.

How to get out of a rip current

Rip current viewed fom the side
Commons / Wikimedia

To learn how to get out of a rip current, we spoke to Jimmy Minardi, founder of East End Ocean Rescue. Minardi established EEOR nearly 20 years ago to decrease rescue response times and help save lives along the beautiful New York beaches of the East End, which overflow with vacationers each year. Quick tip: Minardi told us that rip currents may be rougher on the East Coast than on the West Coast because of factors like the sand, quick-moving summer storms, and tide changes.

Step 1: Spot a rip current

“You can see rip currents from the beach,” Minardi said. “They look like discolored water going back out to sea. You can’t miss it. The water on either side will look different, and the channel of water will have a chop to it.” Minardi told The Manual that this discoloration is the result of sand and seaweed being pulled out to sea.

Step 2: Don’t panic

If you feel yourself being pulled out to sea — you’ll know it’s a rip current since many move at speeds of up to 8 feet per second (faster than an Olympic swimmer) — “First and foremost, don’t panic,” Minardi explained. “Panicking is what causes all the problems. When you start panicking, you’re using twice the amount of energy swimming against the rip. You might as well be swimming against Niagara Falls. When you panic, you’re making it twice as hard for survival.”

Step 3: Forget the myths

“It’s not going to suck you down,” Minardi said. “Undertow is a myth. Rip currents pulling you underneath the water is a myth. Panicking, however, will pull you underneath the water.”

Step 4: Swim in the right direction

Once you get past the panic, Minardi said, “Swimming parallel with the beach will get you out every time.” He added that the best way to determine which way to swim is by picking your coastline, not your water line, and returning to the beach at an angle. “You may be going backward and that will be uncomfortable, but as long as you’re swimming parallel with the sand, to the right or left, you’ll be fine.”

Step 5: Tread patiently

For experienced swimmers or those who cannot swim parallel with the coastline (although Minardi said this should theoretically work every time), let the rip take you out. Wait … what? That’s right — let the current take you out from the beach.

“If you’re comfortable with treading water, do nothing,” Minardi told us. “The rip will bring you out and the natural ebb and flow of the ocean will bring you back to the beach. However, I suggest you be really experienced and comfortable with the ocean.”

“[Rip currents] let go and eventually diminish and you can swim back in,” he added.

Step 6: Call a lifeguard

If you happen to get caught in a rip current on a protected beach, Minardi said to resort to Step 2 and let the lifeguard do their lifeguarding.

Jahla Seppanen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Born and raised off-the-grid in New Mexico, Jahla Seppanen is currently a sports, fitness, spirits, and culture writer in…
How long can you go without food if you’re lost in the wilderness?
Rationing your supplies and how to find more while lost in the wilderness
Cast-iron skillet over campfire wood

In the U.S., about 600,000 hikers get lost in the woods every year, which is why I never venture into the outdoors without the proper permits, tools, and safety precautions. While I have been fortunate enough to never find myself in an extreme emergency situation, getting lost in the woods is a possible reality, even at our well-maintained national parks. If you've ever wondered how long can you go without food while lost in the wilderness, here's what you need to know.
How long can you go without food?

Due to ethical concerns, food deprivation beyond intermittent fasting hasn't been studied, but scientists from Medical News Today estimate that a person could probably survive between one or two months without food depending on several factors like hydration, age, and heath. How long you can go without food might vary, and it's going to take some math.

Read more
Segway’s ZT3 Pro e-scooter is the perfect backcountry sidekick for overlanders
With 6 inches of ground clearance, treaded tires, and a motorcycle-like suspension, it's built for everywhere
Closeup of rider on a desert trail on a Segway ZT3 Pro electric scooter

It's a perennial problem for many overlanders: You follow a random backcountry trail to some epic spot, make camp, and then find a hiking trail or some other landmark that requires a drive to get to. For those times when you can't be bothered to break camp (and have to re-set everything back up again), there's Segway's all-new ZT3 Pro. It's an off-road-capable electric scooter destined to be your new backcountry companion transport.

Just like every other electric scooter on the market, the ZT3 Pro can handle pavement and city streets just fine. But where this beast really shines is off-road. It's Segway's first-ever multipurpose e-scooter designed for on- and off-road riding. That's thanks to a combination of beefy, 11-inch treaded tires and an integrated dual suspension. It's all part of the company's SegRide system that uses a rear mono-shock and motorcycle-inspired telescoping front fork for rock-solid stability and rider dynamics over any terrain. What's more, the ZT3 Pro offers a full 6 inches of ground clearance, making it the perfect auxiliary transportation to take you from backcountry camp to backcountry trail with ease.

Read more
How to sharpen a knife for camping: The ultimate guide
Soon, you'll have the sharpest knife for your camping needs
A fresh-caught rainbow trout sits awaiting an adjacent knife on a cutting board

One of the most reached-for camping tools in my pocket is definitely my camping knife. I wouldn't dream of going camping without it, just because it's one of the most useful tools to have. Handy for any number of tasks, I use my camping knife for food prep, making kindling for a fire, and even first aid.

But when your camping knife is blunt, it can easily become a danger. While it might seem safer to have a less-pointy object around the camp, having a blunt camping knife can cause all kinds of problems like crushing and tearing instead of slicing cleanly. The amount of force you'll need to do the job could easily send you to the emergency room, so here's everything you need to know about how to sharpen a knife for camping.
What to know before you sharpen your camping knife

Read more