How do you survive a rip current? The best advice is – do not fight it.
But you need to know what to do instead, and there are specific ways to handle being caught in one.

*Kids of the Wild has put together a printable family guide to keep in your beach bag.

⚠️ Make sure all the family reads this so EVERYONE knows what to do if caught in a rip current. It may save a life. ⚠️

All beach users need to know how to identify and escape a rip current so if you love beach holidays, coast or water sports this rip current survival guide might be the most important thing you ever read.

The second article from my things to do at the beach series, this one’s full of life-saving advice to ensure family safety on holiday.

Expansive view of calm flat sea, gentle surf at shoreline with smooth patches of water between waves
Calm sea or rip currents? Where would you choose to enter the water?

What is a rip current?

And are they the same as a rip tide?

Rip currents are a serious coastal hazard responsible for the majority of lifeguard incidents in the UK and a leading cause of drowning worldwide. People sometimes call them rip tides/riptides but the correct terminology is rip current.

A rip current is a strong flow of water running out to sea. The water from waves breaking on the shore needs to find it’s way back out to sea and does this via the path of least resistance, often where a trough or depression between sandbars occurs. Rips will also occur around man-made structures like groynes, jetties, or piers, and other natural features like river mouths or the base of cliffs.

Rips generally flow at 1-2 mph but can reach up to 4-5 mph (faster than an Olympic swimmer!) so will drag people and debris from shallow water out to deeper water quite quickly.

The current is a surface flow and contrary to popular belief, does not drag people under water.

More typically, rip currents flow out beyond the breaking waves where the energy dissipates. This is why rips can be more powerful in larger surf, but can still be generated by even the smallest of waves, so it’s good to be cautious.

On occasion, rips can recirculate within the waves, so don’t always flow straight out to sea (see the advice below about what to do if caught in a rip).

How to identify a rip current

Rip currents are hard to spot, particularly from the shoreline, and can be seen more easily from an elevated position such as sand dunes or clifftops.

Clifftop view of long sandy beach showing white surf waves and smooth water rip currents with distant headland in background
Could you identify the rip currents in this photo?

They sometimes look churned, sandy or turbulent but are usually darker, calm channels between white water, and waves don’t break as often in a rip.

Contrary to what many people think, the calmer, darker water between white waves is not safe; these areas of sea are rip currents.

Clifftop view of sandy beach with waves and smooth rip currents areas identified with red hand drawn arrows
Same beach, different day. Did you spot them?

Identifying features:

  • Areas of darker looking water between waves
  • Often looks deceptively ‘calm’
  • Churned sand, sediment or turbulent water
  • Waves that look different and don’t really break properly
  • Ripples on the surface of the water
  • Debris or foam floating out to sea on the surface of the water

Rip currents can change quickly depending on the tide, wave height and beach type. Rips can be fixed around sandbars, can be found permanently against an obstruction that doesn’t move (groyne, pier, headland), or be a flash rip which occurs with pulses of larger waves.

Flash rips are nearly impossible to predict and can happen in an instant.

The photo below is a great example of an area that looks calm but could actually sweep you out to sea without warning.

Wide sandy beach with white water waves either side of smooth dark water rip current in centre
Don’t be fooled into thinking the calm water is safe – it’s a rip current

UK rip current advice and beach safety

As rip currents are not easy to identify, the best UK advice is to use lifeguarded beaches and stay between the flags.

On non-patrolled beaches, a knowledge of where and how rip currents occur could be useful but unless you are an expert, don’t guess. It is safest not to swim or surf without lifeguards. It is also important to stay within your depth where waves are breaking, trying not to float on bodyboards as the current can whisk you off more easily.

Here’s another good example of a calm smooth sea that is actually a rip current flowing out to sea at speed.

Image of beach showing white water at sea's edge with smooth stream of water between
The rip current looks like a safe place to swim but IS NOT
  • Stay safe, swim with lifeguards where possible
  • If there are no lifeguards, check out surf conditions on arrival at the beach, ideally from an elevated position and then at the shoreline
  • Identify potential rip current areas and adjust your activities accordingly

Here’s another rip current. Purple dye in the photo below shows the usual direction of rip movement away from this beach in Australia.

Coastal rip current identified with purple dye in sea at beach
Purple dye in the water shows rip current action

The best rip current escape advice

If you spot someone being dragged out to sea in a current dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

 

Image showing info graphic of coastal riptides and how to escape them

 

How to survive a rip current

If you are caught in a rip current take these steps to escape and survive: –

1. Firstly, DON’T PANIC
Number 1 tip, try to stay calm. It’s not easy so floating on your back until your breathing calms is a good idea.

2. DON’T FIGHT IT
Most rips don’t go very far out to sea so save energy and don’t fight or swim against it. This is where people go wrong and the myth about rips dragging people underwater is simply the fact people try to swim against the current, become exhausted and start drowning.

3. TRY TO WADE
In the panic you may forget to check. Can you touch the bottom? If you can safely stand up, try wading while waving your arms to signal distress. If not then..

4. FLOAT TO LIVE
This saves energy for the swim back to shore once the rip spits you out. You will also be able to raise an arm to signal for help when floating. Sometimes rips recirculate in the waves and can bring you back towards a sandbar or shallower water, so often riding the ‘merry-go-round’ might get you back to safety.
Here’s the RNLI’s floating advice – tilt head back, submerge ears, move arms to stay afloat, legs may drop (that’s ok)

5. ATTEMPT ESCAPE
Only if you have the energy, attempt to swim at a right angle to the rip flow to try to clear it (see arrows in the above infographic) by swimming towards the waves. If you are exhausted, revert to floating to conserve energy.

6. WAIT
The rip should eventually spit you out beyond the breaking waves and you can then swim in a wide loop, away from the current, back towards the shore with the breaking waves. If you don’t have the energy, remain floating, continue signalling and await rescue.

Infographic on rip current movement
Coastal rip current movements

Hopefully this will never happen to you or your family, but should the worst ever happen you now know what to do.

*2026 update – our family guide to rip current safety has been very kindly upgraded by the wonderful Ellie Woodward BSc, MSc, PhD, whose research dissertation at Plymouth University’s School of Marine Science and Engineering  was on – you’ve guessed it – rip currents! Thank you very much Ellie.

For more detail about rip currents read Plymouth University’s information here.

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For staycation ideas why not feed the ducks, have a firepit in the garden or make a hanging bird feeder.

Wild wishes for sunny summers, sandy toes and happy holidays, and remember; be safe in the sea!