Example Rip current

I quite like this example of a rip current, as it’s not as clear as some examples. It does help that the photo is taken from a slightly elevated position.

The main give aways are that there are waves breaking on the near side of the rip (onto the rocks) and waves breaking on the far side of the rip…but not into the rip current itself. The main visual aid is the dark channel of blue, running out to just after the breaking waves. It’s not always the case but it also runs along the headland, near the rocks…which offer less resistance than running along the sand.

Like most, the rip only moves out just past the breaking waves, isn’t that wide and there aren’t really waves breaking into the rip itself.

Try and spot the rip in this photo…

The rip current runs along the red lines.

The green zone is a fairly shallow area, where the waves are breaking. This represents a safer spot to position yourself.