For Release: IMMEDIATELY

29 June 2004

 

For More Information:   

Jim Lubner, Water Safety Specialist, (414) 227-3291

Stephen Wittman , Communications Coordinator, (608) 263-5371

John Karl, Science Writer, (608) 263-8621

 

Editors Note: Graphics and more information are available on the NOAA Rip Current Information Web Site.

 

GREAT LAKES SWIMMERS : BREAK THE GRIP OF THE RIP

 

MADISON , Wis. (6/29/04) – Swimmers enjoying the Fourth of July holiday at Great Lakes beaches should beware of the deadly danger of rip currents.

 

Rip currents are narrow, fast-moving belts of water moving away from shore, according to University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute Water Safety Specialist James Lubner .

 

“These currents can overpower even the strongest swimmers,” Lubner said. “But they are definitely survivable – if you know what to do.”

 

If you are caught in a rip current, the most important thing is not to panic, Lubner said. Stay calm, and don’t try to fight the current by swimming directly to shore. Instead, swim parallel to shore. That will get you out of the path of the current quickest. Then, when you are out of the current, swim back to shore.

 

Rip currents were reported to be a potential problem at 12 of 14 Lake Michigan beaches surveyed in 2003 by Wisconsin Sea Grant. They have been reported at other Great Lakes beaches in Michigan , Minnesota , and Ohio .

 

Nationally, more than 100 people die annually from rip currents, and it is estimated that 80 percent of all lifeguard rescues are the result of swimmers unable to escape a rip current. It is believed that many more such deaths are not reported. In 2000 alone, there were 23,000 rip current-related rescues, according to the United States Lifesaving Association. An estimated 90 million Americans visit an ocean or Great Lakes beach every year.

 

A web site of the National Weather Service (www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov) offers this information about rip currents:

 

WHEN AND WHERE THEY FORM

 

• They are most likely to be dangerous during high surf conditions as the wave height and distance between waves increase.
• They most typically form at low spots or breaks in sandbars, and also near structures such as groins, jetties and piers.
• Rip currents can be very narrow or extend in width to hundreds of yards. The seaward pull of rip currents varies: sometimes the rip current ends just beyond the line of breaking waves, but sometimes rip currents continue to push hundreds of yards offshore.

 

TO IDENTIFY RIP CURRENTS, LOOK FOR ANY OF THESE CLUES:

 

• a channel of churning, choppy water
• an area having a notable difference in water color
• a line of foam, seaweed, or debris moving steadily seaward
• a break in the incoming wave pattern

HOW TO AVOID AND SURVIVE RIP CURRENTS

 

• Learn how to swim! And never swim alone.
• Be cautious at all times, especially when swimming at unguarded beaches. If in doubt, don’t go out!
• Whenever possible, swim at a lifeguard-protected beach.
• Obey all instructions and orders from lifeguards.
• If caught in a rip current, remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
• Don’t fight the current. Swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline. When out of the current, swim towards shore.
• If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards shore.
• If you are still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself:  face the shore, wave your arms, and yell for help.
• If you see someone in trouble, get help from a lifeguard. If a lifeguard is not available, have someone call 9-1-1 . Throw the rip current victim something that floats and yell instructions on how to escape. Remember, many people drown while trying to save someone else from a rip current.

 

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Conceived in 1966, Sea Grant is a national network of 30 university-based programs of research, outreach and education dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the United States' coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources. The National Sea Grant Network is a partnership of participating coastal states, private industry and the National Sea Grant College Program , National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration , U.S. Department of Commerce. The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is administered by the Sea Grant Institute on the UW-Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin.

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last updated 7 July 2004

http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/communications/news_releases/2004/RipCurrents.html