Every year, swimmers drown in treacherous rip currents, because they don't know how to escape them. The real danger with rip currents is not that you are getting pulled away from the shore, but how you react!

Rip currents are the most hazardous beach condition a swimmer can face anywhere there are breaking waves! Rip currents are sometimes mistakenly referred to as riptides and undertow. These names are misnomers because although rip currents pull swimmers away from shore, they have nothing to do with the tides and they do not pull swimmers under.

Most swimmers will panic and try to swim against the current. They will tire quickly and soon go under. The key to surviving a rip current is to swim out of it, not against it. This is done by swimming parallel to shore until you are out of the rip current. Again, do not try to  swim against it because you'll get exhausted and you can easily drown. If you don't think you can swim out of one, simply float on your back and shout loudly as you wave your arms. The lifeguard or someone will see you and come to your rescue!

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