Long Beach Island Rip Currents

Yellow Flag - Caution

Rip Currents on The Jersey Shore

Red Flag- No Swimming

Beach Patrols  on Long Beach Island and all along The Jersey Shore will be posting yellow or red flags at beaches to warn swimmers of rough waves and rip currents as Hurricane Earl moves along the coast.

Understanding the ocean is very important— the more you know about how waves, wind and tides affect conditions in the water, the better able you are to keep yourself safe, or even warn others away from danger. Recognizing danger signs and awareness of surf conditions is an essential way to keep yourself, family, and friends safe.

Lifeguards on Long Beach Island

Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that are prevalent along the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the U.S., as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes. Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer. Panicked swimmers often try to counter a rip current by swimming straight back to shore-putting themselves at risk of drowning because of fatigue. Lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the U.S. every year, but it is estimated that 100 people are killed by rip currents annually. If caught in a rip current, don't fight it! Swim parallel to the shore and swim back to land at an angle.

While the terms are ofter confused, rip currents are different than rip tides. A rip tide is a specific type of current associated with the swift movement of tidal water through inlets and the mouths of estuaries, embayments, and harbors.

When wind and waves push water towards the shore, that water is often forced sideways by the oncoming waves. This water streams along the shoreline until it finds an exit back to the sea or open lake water. The resulting rip current is usually narrow and located in a trench between sandbars, under piers or along jetties. A common misconception is that ordinary undertow or even rip currents are strong enough to pull someone under the surface of the water; in reality the current is strongest at the surface.

Rip currents are a source of danger for people in ocean and lake surf. They can be extremely dangerous, dragging swimmers away from the beach. Death by drowning comes following exhaustion while fighting the river or ocean current.

A swimmer caught in a rip current should not attempt to swim back to shore directly against the rip. This risks exhaustion and drowning. A rip does not pull a swimmer under water; it carries the swimmer away from the shore in a narrow channel of water. The rip is like a treadmill which the swimmer needs to step off. The swimmer should remain calm and swim parallel to the shore until he or she is outside of the current. Locations to aim for are places where waves are breaking. In these areas, floating objects are generally transported towards the shore.

A swimmer in a strong rip, who is unable to swim away from it, should relax and calmly float or tread water to conserve energy. Eventually the rip will lose strength, and the swimmer can swim at a leisurely pace, in a diagonal direction, away from the rip but back to shore. Coastal swimmers should understand the danger of rip currents, learn how to recognize them and how to escape from them, and always swim in areas where lifeguards are operating.

If you're going to be on Jersey Shore Beaches this weekend, be especially mindful of potential rip currents.

Links to U.S. Lifesaveing Association, here.
Links to NWS Rip Current Awareness, here.
Link to Long Beach Township Beach Patrol, here and safety tips.

Karl Hess, Barnegat
Your Agent on The Jersey Shore

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