Editor’s Note: The following editorial was sourced from “Carolinas Rip Current Awareness” published by the National Weather Service. NWS offices across the coastal Carolinas hosted their inaugural Carolinas Rip Current Awareness Week on April 27 through May 3.
Rip currents are the deadliest and most common hazard people face at the beaches of North and South Carolina, as well as along most of the coastlines of the world. The United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) estimates rip currents are responsible for about 100 drownings each year in the United States and over 80% of lifeguard rescues. Between 2000 and 2024, there were 192 rip current drownings (~8 per year) reported in North and South Carolina. This number far exceeds any other weather-related fatalities during that time frame, making rip currents the No. 1 weather-related killer in the coastal Carolinas. With millions of people visiting the beaches of North and South Carolina each year, it is very important rip current awareness and education continues to be promoted to help keep the public safe.
What Are Rip Currents?
Rip currents are strong, channelized currents of water that flow back into the ocean from the shoreline. They typically form at breaks in the sandbars, and near structures such as jetties and piers. Rip currents are commonly found at any beach where there are breaking waves, including Great Lakes beaches.
Rip currents act as treadmills of the ocean, with speeds averaging 1 to 2 feet per second, but they have been measured as fast as 8 feet per second—faster than an Olympic swimmer!
Rip currents do not pull people under the water, they pull people away from shore.
The length and width of rip currents can vary dramatically.
Rip currents are dangerous and life-threatening for several reasons:
- They pull people away from shore into deeper waters. • They are often hard to identify in the surf and not everyone knows about the danger of rip currents.
- Sometimes the worst rip current events occur with the best weather. Nice and sunny weather does not mean the ocean is safe.
- People try to swim against rip currents versus swimming out of them.
How Do Rip Currents Form?
Rip currents form as incoming waves push water up the slope of the beach. To remain in balance, excess water building in the surf zone seeks the path of least resistance as a rip current through the surf zone.
Rip current formation is more favorable with incoming wave direction perpendicular to shore, larger wave heights and longer wave periods. However, rip currents can still form in surf of only 1 to 2 feet.
Rip currents are most common within a few hours of low tide but can still form during all hours of the day.
How To Spot a Rip Current
Spotting a rip current can be tricky, especially at eye level standing on the beach. It is easier to spot rip currents from an elevated position overlooking the beach (e.g., parking lot, beach access or headland). Watch the water for several minutes as ocean conditions, including rip current characteristics, can change. You can also ask a lifeguard if there are any rip currents in the area.
Look for these clues when trying to spot a rip current:
- A narrow gap of darker, seemingly calmer water between areas of breaking waves and whitewater
- A channel of churning, choppy water
- A difference in water color
- A line of foam, seaweed or debris moving seaward
Some types of rips, such as flash rips, can appear as narrow sections of turbulent whitewater heading away from the beach.
Types of Rip Currents
There are several different types of rip currents, characterized by how and where they develop along with how long they persist. Below are the rip current types typically found in our area:
Channelized – This is the most common rip current type in the Carolinas. Channelized rip currents form due to the presence of irregular patterns of nearshore beach characteristics, such as shape of sandbars. The rips occupy deeper channels between the sandbars, and they can stay in place for hours to as much as several months. As the shape of the beach changes, especially during and after strong storms, the location and strength of these rip currents will also change.
Boundary – Boundary rip currents form against rigid structures in the surf zone. The structures can be either natural (such as headlands and rock outcrops) or man-made (such as groins, jetties and piers). These rip currents move little and can persist for months or years.
Flash – Flash rips are usually of short duration, lasting no more than 15 or 30 minutes. However they can be quite dangerous as they form suddenly, can occur over a large and varying area and are unpredictable.
For more information, visit weather.gov/ilm/ripcurrents or reach out to your local National Weather Service Forecast Office.
Leave a Reply