Have any of you been caught in a rip current?

I haven't because I don't trust the ocean one bit, but every Australian child is taught that if this happens you swim across, not against, the rip. That way you can usually make it to the other side of it without exhausting yourself.

Of course, it continues to carry you out while you are doing that, so you might need to be rescued anyway, but if you do the right thing early enough you can probably make it back by yourself.

Yes.

A lifeguard saved me.

I've never swam in the ocean, too big and too active.

Yes, twice. Once as a child and once as an adult.

When I was a kid, I kind of shrugged it off because we lived at the beach and my dad was a surfer, so I felt sure he would have rescued me, if need be.

As an adult, it scared the living shit out of me, and I struggled to make it back to the beach. I decided then and there that full-on swimming in the ocean was probably not something I was going to do again.

Rip currents are narrow. 30-60 feet though it can vary. You must steel your mind to not panic and swim parallel to shore until you exit the current. I have been in rip currents at Marconi Beach on the Cape and Spring Lake in NJ. That we kids even swam at those outer cape beaches is lost to the past now. I wouldn't set foot in those waters. Beyond being cold, sharks.

A couple of times. As above, you swim across it, not against it.

Never needed a lifeguard, but you’ll be tired when you’re out of the water.

No, I’m a highly risk-averse sort of person.

I’m an open water swimmer. Always swim parallel to shore.

I'm r4 and both times I was caught in a rip current, it as in the Pacific.

As a child, it was in the San Diego area. As an adult, it was in Northern CA in Sonoma County.

It was much worse in NorCal. On top of that, I was near the mouth of the Russian River, an area known for people getting bitten (or eaten) by sharks.

The stupidity boggles my mind, now 18 years on. I was younger, dumb and in love and trying to hang out with the person I was with at the time. He took off and left me to go surfing. He was not around when I was struggling to get back to shore.

And I cut him loose probably about 6 months later. Idiot. (that's directed at both him and myself).

I swam a long next to the beach (mostly feeling out of control and I was sure I'd be dragged out to sea) until I felt the current weaken a bit and broke out of it and headed for the shoreline.

It's a horrible feeling.its only happened to me once and I hope never again

[quote] I've never swam

Oh dear, R3.

R11 I've never swum? swimmed?

yes, as a kid. my rip current wasn’t very strong, but scared the shit outta me.

between that and sharks, i swore off the ocean.

Once, long ago. I had already learned to get out of it you only need to swim parallel with the shore. I was on a float so I didn't really panic.

In NYC, they basically say this on the evening news every night during the weather report when it's warm — the rip current risk is [whatever], remember, if you're caught in one, swim parallel to the shore until you're out of it.

I thought this had become common knowledge.

I did in Cancun. The tide kept pushing my head down to the bottom —I really thought I was going to drown

Have been a couple of times. I lie on my back parallel with the beach and just float it out. Brings me back into shore some metres up the coast. DON"T PANIC you'll wear yourself out.

Rip currents are also known as 'sea pussies'

probably b/c they smell like dead fish

Once in Hawaii. Scariest experience of my life.

[quote]The tide kept pushing my head down

Surely you're used to that.

How far out do you have to swim to get in danger? I usually stay within maybe 200 feet from shore.

Yes. I died.