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The Hidden Danger of Inlet Rip Tides
From a person who has lived in Florida for the past 30 years and had no clue
I’ve lived in Florida since 1994, but I learned a terrifying new lesson about the power of inlet rip tides the other day.
Before I tell you what happened, let’s get one thing straight. Rip tides and rip currents are two different things.
Rip Tides vs. Rip Currents
Rip currents occur in the ocean. Rip currents are fast-moving water channels that can drag you out to sea. They are too powerful to swim against. On popular public beaches, you can usually find warning flags posted if the rip currents are particularly strong that day.
If you are ever caught in a rip current, the expert advice is to either allow the rip current to take you out and then swim back diagonally toward the shore, or if you’ve got the energy, swim parallel to shore and approach diagonally. Like in the Harry Potter films, the key here is diagonally.
Rip tides are rip currents’ lesser-known and equally dangerous cousin. While rip currents occur in the ocean, rip tides occur in…
