5 Things You Need to Know About Swimming In Currents

1. Everyone Should Consider Currents

Swimming in currents is dangerous, whether you are an accomplished swimmer or not. Swimming in ocean currents requires quick thinking. Dangerous currents may form in any body of water where waves break continuously. A rip current is a narrow band of water moving quickly offshore that can form anytime, but especially during high winds and high surf. One major danger in rip currents is their width: They can be quite narrow and easy to escape or they can be hundreds of yards wide, making them extremely dangerous and difficult to swim out of. You don't have to be in deep water to get tangled up with a rip current, either. People standing in knee-deep or waist-deep water have found themselves swept away by water currents.

2. Clues to Currents

There are certain clues that may help you see water currents or rip currents so you can avoid them. Look for distinct differences in water color. You may see a surf foam-line moving rapidly out to sea carrying seaweed or other floating debris. Watch for irregularities in wave patterns as the waves break coming in to shore. A band or belt of churning, tossing water may indicate a rip current.

3. Calm and Collected

Stay calm if you find yourself swimming in currents. Collect your thoughts and focus your attention on swimming out of the current. Panic only makes it more difficult to escape the current. Use good judgment before you go into the water at all, never swim alone and think twice before you swim on windy, high-wave days. Try to swim in areas where lifeguards are on duty.

4. Don't Fight It

If you find yourself swimming in currents, don't fight the current. Rip currents (some areas refer to these currents as "rip tides," but this term is not really accurate) are fast and strong. Even the most accomplished Olympic swimmers may have a hard time swimming out of a fierce rip current. If you feel a current pulling you away, relax your body. Don't try to swim against the water current. You may exhaust yourself and never pull out. Swim parallel to the shoreline until you are out of the current. Once you escape the water's pull, swim toward shore. If you are not a strong swimmer, or get exhausted, simply float or tread water until you are out of the current's pull.

5. Undertows Pull You Away From Shore

Some people refer to rip currents as undertow. These water currents or rip currents do not pull you under the water. They pull you away from shore. People drown because they become frightened, struggle against the current and get pulled under water or out to sea.