Abstract
Staying Safe on a Surf Beach: What Are Rip Currents?
Highlights
One of the fun things about the beach is watching and playing in the waves, which were likely made by wind hundreds of miles away.kids.frontiersin.org Rip CurrentsRIP CURRENT A strong offshore flow of water at the beach that is hazardous to people.SANDBAR Underwater mounds of sand that come in different shapes and sizes, often with deeper channels running through them
Since waves mostly break in shallow areas, there is a lot of wave breaking and whitewater across sand bars, but not as much across the channels, where the water is deeper
If you think you are caught in a rip current, try to relax and remember that the rip is not going to pull you under the water; it is just taking you for a ride
Summary
RIP CURRENT A strong offshore flow of water at the beach that is hazardous to people. SANDBAR Underwater mounds of sand that come in different shapes and sizes, often with deeper channels running through them These waves travel long distances in deep water before they get to the beach. As the water gets shallower, the waves slow down and steepen, until they eventually topple over and “break.” Breaking waves trap lots of air bubbles in the water, making the water look white and foamy, called whitewater. Most of this wave breaking occurs in an area called the surfzone—because this is where you can catch the waves and surf!. Not all beaches have rip currents, but if you see breaking waves (whitewater) across a wide surfzone, there could be a rip
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