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 Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Born and raised off-the-grid in New Mexico, Jahla Seppanen is currently a sports, fitness, spirits, and culture writer in…
Get your camping trip organized this summer with these campground booking sites
Whether it's an RV getaway or a tented escape, book your campground early to avoid disappointment
A view from an open camping tent

With the arrival of spring, campers around America are already eyeballs deep in camping plans for spring and summer. If you're anything like me, you're practically bouncing on the balls of your feet to experience the soft, warm breezes of spring and the scent of life as it all returns to our forests. And guess what — everyone else is, too! In 2024 alone, Camper Champ reports that the number of households who have camped in the past year has risen an eyeball-widening 68%.

That huge spike in outdoor recreation means that you'll have to plan more meticulously this year when choosing the campgrounds you want to stay at. The last thing you want to do is roll up to your chosen campground and find it all booked up through August. One of the best ways to avoid this disappointment is to book early. Here are my top five campground booking sites.
Recreation.gov

Read more
What is a draw in golf? How to hit it, when to use it, and more
Unlocking the power if the draw in your golf swing
People riding a golf cart around the gofl course

In many other sports, a draw means to end a game in a tie, so naturally, I was in for a surprise when I learned it’s something completely different in golf. In fact, as a golf term, a draw refers to a type of shot where the ball curves gently from right to left in the air for a right-handed golfer. Alongside the fade, hook, and slice, the draw is one of the core shot shapes every golfer encounters. In a word, it’s a supercontrolled shot that is as beautiful as it is powerful. Here’s how to hit a draw, when to use it to support your strategy, as well as some famous draws during the Masters and PGA Tour.
How to hit a draw in golf

To hit a draw, a golfer usually aligns their stance slightly to the right of the target. The face of your club needs to be closed relative to your swing path on impact but still slightly open to the target line. Too closed, and you’ll hook it wildly, but too open, and you’ll actually be hitting a push or a fade. When hit correctly, the ball flies with a topspin and a sidespin, and this is what creates that right-to-left trajectory. If you need a visual explanation, Me And My Golf has a great video where they explain two ways to draw the golf ball.

Read more
My thoughts on InfinaCore’s P3 Pro: A must-have portable power solution
Sick of using multiple charging bricks and cords? Simplify with the P3 Pro
Infinacore P3 Pro charging Apple AirPods

One of the worst feelings while camping or hiking is watching the battery go down on your devices, especially if you're on a multi-day trip without a power source. There are a ton of power bank options out there, but InfinaCore just released a game-changing solution that might switch up the way you carry your power.

The P3 Pro has been highly anticipated ever since it was unveiled at CES 2024 and was successfully backed by a Kickstarter campaign. InfinaCore graciously sent me a model to test out, and it was exactly what I needed on my two-day ski trip to Santa Fe. Here's everything you need to know about this next-generation device.
Does the P3 Pro live up to the hype?

Read more