Went to the beach this past weekend with my husband and youngest daughter. Read about the severe rip current warning and we didn’t go further than ankle deep and that was pushing it. It was violent and strong. Even an experienced swimmer can’t compete with rip currents. Don’t ever underestimate the ocean!
If any of you is ever caught in a rip current, do not try to swim towards the beach. That's how you get tired and drown. You must keep your head and swim parallel to the beach or sideways. Often that current is only about 12 feet wide. You can swim out of it and it will stop pulling you out. Then you can swim towards the shore. Be safe and know your limitations.
As a previous beach lifeguard at Panama city beach, please edit your comment to say you need to let the rip current carry you out completely until it stops pushing, THEN swim parallel of the shore and swim back in. Swimming parallel to shore while the rip current is still actively pulling you out will do nothing but make you exhausted.
Almost took me out to sea here! Bless the rescuer who put his life on the line to save me from going down. The jetski rental had a rip current next to it. My daughter asked one of the guys to help me! Two Heroes came out saved my life that day!
As a former life guard in germany I want to say i was surprised by just how many people have never heard of rip currents or undertow. You wouldn´t believe how many people go way too far into deep waters well knowing they cant swim.
been swim training ever since i was around 6 but i couldn't swim against this current even with perfect technique. it scared me when i first dealt with it not knowing what it was, it kept pulling me in while waves crashed over me, i really felt like i could outswim it but my legs were cramping up bad. it pulled me very far from the shore, grant it i did swim out far like i usually do, eventually the waters became normal and i could swim freely back like nothing happened. i never told anyone i was too scared, i really thought i would die that day. i don't ever swim far out anymore
@datstudkillacam6046 that's your best bet but you'd have to do that relatively quickly to exit the riptide/current and even after you do that, you're still far out. Not everyone has the stamina to get back.
I have been caught in a rip tide, the sad thing is when your in the situation you realize whatever one is talking about... the fear and panic, the. Hopelessness that sets in.... you cant know it unless your in the situation, by then its usually to late. I called upon the Lord as my wife and children looked on from the shore line and thought as i had thought, i was a gonner... but then i called upon the name of the Lord, and He sent some small waves, and though i had no energy left, he brought be back into the shore... what thankfulness filled my heart!!!
I miraculously survived being dragged in a rip current also in Florida and it was truly the scariest thing that's ever happened to me. The beach was dead empty, and by gods grace there was only one other guy there walking his dog who I later found out was a retired lifeguard. Turns out he heard me from a distance after I was screaming my lungs out for help and till this day It all seems surreal to me. All I remember was being waist deep in the water and the next minute I was 100 yards from shore getting pounced by waves. No matter how much I tried to swim forward I was only getting pushed back further and further. Eventually I became so exhausted my body gave up and I gradually began to sink. The only thought running through my mind was "this is it.. I'm dead." Next thing I know the same man I seen walking his dog earlier lifted me onto his shoulder and swam us back to shore. I don't know how he did it, but I still can't thank him enough. I know it sounds corny but it all happened like it was a scene straight out of a movie. Afterwards I was transported to a hospital to get all the salt water flushed out of my system, because apparently I swallowed a ton. I hope none of you experience what I went through and please be cautious of the waters before hopping in- even if you're just going knee deep; the ocean is unpredictable.
Man reading your comments made me relieve the same thing. I got stuck in a rip and despite forceful paddles towards the shore, I didn't get anywhere near it. And I remembered just looking at the sky and started asking for forgiveness cos I was sure I wasn't going to get home that day. Thankfully I got rescued. Keep living brother
As a experienced open water swimmer and kayaker , The water on top may look calm and easy but the inside is trouble. The ocean is tricky waters you never know but a good swimmer can defeat being drowning
Yea my brother saved my life from the rip tide. Out of nowhere i got swept out further into the ocean, my feet were no longer on the ground the waves were too strong to swim back to the beach and i just looked up at the sky and told God im sorry for all my sins and its okay he can take me. I thought sharks were going to eat me, i was almost out by the boats.. But my brother (only 2 years older than me, i was 12) swam out to me and helped me to swim back.. He told me dont give up because at one point it was so hard to swim back and i told him to save himself i'll be okay. Im so thankful for him and that God put the right people in my life to help with his work. Truely heavensent. Thank you God thank you bro
I wasn’t in a rip current, but me and my sister were swimming at Siesta Key Beach a few summers ago. We had our boogie boards and were riding the big waves as they came up to us. Little did we know, the water was pushing us and everyone else sideways down the shoreline. We started swimming right in front of our parents tent but without us even knowing we ended up quite a ways down the beach. Thankfully my Dad was being observant and followed us down the shoreline so he could help us get back on land and find our tent.
Yea siesta key always does that. It happens fast and can be scary when you’re young. It’s usually pretty tame though, I remember going to another beach in Florida and became quite scared at how powerful the rip current was compared to most sarasota beaches
@@favourbridgette1939 in knee deep water? Only non swimmers or unfit or elderly would be at risk in knee deep water if there’s a rip. Stronger swimmers Would be able to stand and not get knocked over or they would know if they do get caught in a rip they would just float with it. Not fight it. Wait for it to stop dragging you out and then swim parallel to the beach for a bit to get around the rip then swim back in. Rips drag you out to sea not under. But moral of the story if you aren’t the best swimmer go to the pools.
When my son was 4 years old, we were in Destin, Florida, another Gulf town. He was playing in shallow water, but since he was so young, I stayed within arm's reach of him. A riptide caught him iand pulled him away from me. I am a strong swimmer and was able to quickly catch him I kept him calm and above water while we rode with the tide. We were able to make our way to the edge of the flow and "jump" our way free. His mom and sister had no idea what was going on and wondered what we were doing so far down the beach. The riptide was fast, it was strong and it was scary! Condolences to the families of those who were not so lucky.
Nope, get rid of warnings and we'll start selecting for caution again. We're actively devolving ourselves with warning labels and bubble wrap on everything
@@LetsTalkAboutPreppingWhat? That doesn't even make sense? These people died because they were careless and didn't respect the warning given to not enter the water.
I almost drowned in a rip current in Thailand almost 20 years ago. I only survived because I was training to become a Divemaster and was at my fittest and strongest at the time. It was terrifying 😔
We were at Miramar beach last week at the end of June, and I had some people in our group get pulled into a rip tide. I realized part of our group was too far to the left and I decided to go get them back. That’s when I realized they were in the rip tide. We were able to go out safely and help coach them and get them out of the rip tide with help of a few others. But plenty of education and awareness is needed. You need to watch out for others and have others watch out for you because sometimes you don’t know it’s happening until it’s too late.
I’ve seen people pulled from those waters years ago and today I was just online looking for lodging to take my family to Panama City beach before school starts. I think I will pass and redirect my trip to Orlando. So sorry for all those families who have lost their loved ones. 🙏
I remember once as a little girl being at the beach barely with my feet in the water not even up to my knees and suddenly my feet and body were pulled out underneath me and I was being sucked into the ocean. Some guy pulled me back out after just a few seconds, but I've never gone back to the ocean since.
I have been caught in a rip tide, the sad thing is when your in the situation only then do you realize whatever one is talking about "oh this is what they mean, rip tide, life threatening"... the fear and panic, the. Hopelessness that sets in.... you cant know it unless your in the situation, by then its usually to late. I called upon the Lord as my wife and children looked on from the shore line and thought as i had thought, i was a gonner... but then i called upon the name of the Lord, and He sent some small waves, and though i had no energy left, he brought be back into the shore... what thankfulness filled my heart!!!
My brother, his wife and I were in a similar situation. At one point my brother and I were together barely managing to stay afloat, absolutely exhausted we called out to Jesus and all three of us were rescued shortly after. Very frightening experience and possibly the closest each of us has been to death but I'm very thankful be to our loving and merciful God! Romans 10:13-15 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Was in a situation like this with my son yesterday, didn’t think we was gonna make it out.6 people screaming for help everybody just watched .boogie board saved me and my son. Everybody was able to get out safe.thank god
I was in a rip current once. It’s no joke. I’m glad I had a quick lesson on how to look out for them and swim out of one if I was caught. They should do lessons on them, cause it could save lives like it did mine
Lots of people don’t know what to do when they get caught in a rip current. It’s gonna push you way out from the shallow but just swim parallel to the shore and you will eventually find yourself out of the rip current and able to swim back to the shore.
If you're caught in a rip current just swim parallel to the beach and swim in. A rip current is just outflowing water that flows back out from the beach at fast speed. Never panic , tread water and stay afloat.
@@simplylethul unfortunately very true and getting worse imo. Everywhere I go I see stuff dumped along the highway because people don’t want to pay to have their old appliances and furniture hauled away
I was taken in a rip current when I was 21, and I’m a very good swimmer. It took me almost 15 mins to get myself back and I thought I was going to die. It’s really not worth it. Water up to your knees will suck you in
I got dragged down a beach shore by a backwash in California once. It wasn't hard to swim back to land, but it looked like I was 20-30ft under the waves when the current let me go. My back was bloodied from being dragged along the seafloor.
I just got back from destin a few days ago and my friend is in panama city beach right now. When i went in the water the rip current wasnt that strong but it almost made it to where i couldnt get to land because it was pulling me back.
Once there was a massive storm coming or had just left up by NJ and the ocean was pulling all the water out. We didnt go in far at all, but the pull was so insane and scary.
Important to note that almost all if not all these people who died weren’t selfish people ignoring rip current signs. They were people trying to rescue SOMEONE ELSE trapped in a current.
It’s really hard to find sympathy for people that completely go against life saving rules. The beach isn’t deadly, the people that don’t listen bring death upon themselves.
@@aviiala54 brother…. There’s literally signs for the whole world to see that tell you just how dangerous it is. Hence why it means DO NOT go in the water 🤦🏽♂️ even somebody with brain damage would understand that obviously the water is dangerous enough to not go in if the people responsible of checking if the water is safe puts up a sign saying the water isn’t safe enough to go in 💀💀💀
I got caught in one last year, pulled me out very slowly until I noticed how deep I was and couldn't walk back to shore due to the current. It took a lot of effort to get out of it and to swim back to shore. I remembered to get on top of the water and swim parallel to it to get out of the current, got out and spent the last bit of my vacation inside due to how badly it scared me. I plan to go into the water again, but I will NEVER be going past my waist again.
@@Mscookie3131 true, but I'm used to going past the breakers growing up so it's made me a pretty strong swimmer. In all honesty it seems like it's going to be a lot harder to swim in the ocean given the currents and rip tides seem to be getting more frequent.
I was pulled too, I was on a tube and was too tired to get back. Few boys helped me get the tube back and swam back with every strength in my body. Don't underestimate nature y'all.
When I was young, my family went to a beach not too far from this one. My mom was holding me in her arms while she was knee-deep in water. All of a sudden, a huge wave came and swept us both under. As I was drowning, it didn't feel like I was dying, but I had the feeling that I could actually breathe under water. I saw what looked like shark shadows surrounding me. I'm not sure what those were. Suddenly, my mom was able to find me, and she pushed my little feet back to shore. I wouldn't have even believed it if I weren't there.
We were at Carolina beach Saturday and there were 7 rescues. Apparently there were over 60 this past weekend. We had a little scare and after that did not go back in
It's a tragic event, but it is simply a reminder that signs and science about rip currents exist for very good reason which become very clear with people choose to ignore it.
i went to this beach and also almost drowned in 2018… once minutes i was knee deep and next minute giant waves came trampling high over my head pushing me further out but luckily 2 life guards came to save me and the 2 siblings. i was a kid at the time and had no idea what those red flags meant but im glad i survived
That’s too much water for me, and too hot down south to be told to stay out. I’ll just stay up north in Minnesota with my calm lake beaches. Have a great summer!
@@simonrangel9522 It's the reporting style I am referring to. The delivery. Inside Edition is incapable of stating the news without dramatizing the emotional aspect of it. This does not mean it isn't sad, it simply means, they find the most heightened headline (tabloid news 101) to draw people in. It's about $$$$$
Used to scuba dive in California many moons ago and used rips to get out into deeper water. Now 50 yrs later I don’t know if I could be comfortable knowing rips were there . And no matter the skill of a swimmer panic can set in shutting down the simple knowledge to swim parallel and then in. One thing thru didn’t mention was beaches can have multiple rips and then finding the safe corridor in is tougher
Please follow the guidelines! It's not fair to put other people in danger when you choose to ignore the warnings and go in and then some innocent person goes in after you trying to save your life and loses their own....
Also if you do find yourself in a rip current don't try to fight it. You won't win. Your best bet is to swim parallel to the shore -not try to swim directly back to the shore until out of the current This is not fool proof and you could very well still lose your life, as I said heed the warnings. This is just to pass on information
You can build protected beaches from sharks, jellyfish and strong water currents, all you have to do is build a C-shaped wall that will also serve as a promenade.
1st of all, don't try to swim back against it. Relax and float with the current until it releases you. Then look for the waves on either side if you, going towards the beach and swim parallel until you get in front of those waves and then let the waves help push you back to shore. You can't swim against the rip, but you can swim with the waves. But before anything else, watch the flag warnings. Double red flags mean don't even put a toe in the water! Don't do it. If there's double reds and you're hot, go find a pool or an air conditioner! Or pour a bottle of water on your head. But stay out of the sea. We went to Destin, Florida for the 1st time in 2021. It was gorgeous. We were there 10 days. They had red flags every single day. So we used the pool. No way, we're my grandkids getting in that treacherous water!
