How to survive being caught in a rip current | Cover Story

It happens every year. With the stories of the first day of summer and the start of tourist season come the stories of bodies being pulled from the waterway or the ocean.

What is supposed to be a fun, happy-go-lucky, relaxing time in our lives inevitably turns into one of tragedy and sadness.

Accidents happen, and sometimes they are unavoidable, especially when dealing with the forces of nature that can’t be tamed or strong-armed.

But, like GI Joe says, knowing is half the battle.

“Hazards can vary at any beach around the world,” said Sandy LaCorte, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

Hazards include rip currents, surf zones, high surf, sneaker waves, longshore currents, pier structures, inshore holes and sandbars, said Julian Brown, the beach safety director for Horry County Beach Patrol. And, LaCorte said, “the weather doesn’t have to be hazardous for there to be [hazardous conditions].”

According to the United States Lifesaving Association, 97 people died from drowning in 2015 on unguarded beaches (31 due to rip currents), and 14 died on guarded beaches (5 due to rip currents), though those numbers could be higher because the association does not pull from a comprehensive list of all statistics generated by all beach lifeguard agencies.

However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 people die every day from unintentional drowning. That means from 2005-2014, there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings in the U.S., not including more than 330 people each year who died from boating-related incidents.

There have been several drowning deaths on the Grand Strand this summer, including:

▪ Billy Ray Burchell, 19, of Fredericksburg, Va., drowned near Pitts Landing in Conway on May 8.

▪ Mikease McFarland, 17, of Darlington, drowned near 43rd Avenue North in Myrtle Beach on July 8.

▪ London Adams, 7, of Atlanta, drowned at Sheraton Broadway Plantation on April 9.

▪ Jacob Perry Lee Causey, 17, of Myrtle Beach, drowned after a boat crash on May 23.

And Surf City Surf Shop owner Mark Allison was pulled from the ocean in early June after something went wrong when he was paddleboarding. His life was likely saved because of the quick action of bystanders who pulled him from the water and performed CPR until medics arrived.

So far this year, there have been 35 water-related fatalities nationwide as of July 21, according to LaCorte.

Not surprisingly, the CDC’s first prevention method is LEARN HOW TO SWIM.

Even less surprising were these other prevention methods:

▪ Wear a life jacket. Also known as a personal floatation device.

▪ Keep an eye on your kids when they are in or around water.

▪ Swim with a friend.

▪ Learn CPR.

▪ Don’t drink and swim, and don’t drink while you’re supervising children.

▪ Swim around lifeguards.

▪ Research and check hazards BEFORE entering the water.

▪ Know your personal limitations.

I’m sure now you think I’m just spoiling all your summertime fun by saying you can’t drink at the beach or the river and you have to look ridiculous wearing a life jacket instead of sexy in your new bikini.

But consider these words from Brown: “A significant number of rescues and drownings that have involved individuals who consumed alcohol or took drugs [before getting in the water.] Individuals affected by alcohol and drug consumption will have difficulty with balancing in moving water. Heat along with alcohol consumption can cause individuals to pass out in the water, which can cause a passive drowning situation. Also, alcohol-impaired individuals may attempt to try activities in the water which could be hazardous to their health, like jumping into unknown water, doing flips off shoulders, holding breath under water, etc.”

But because some of you will, inevitably, think to yourself, “Well, that won’t happen to me because I’m not an idiot,” here are some tweaks to those prevention methods if you non-idiots don’t want to sacrifice a little fun for the sake of safety. (But maybe you should go back up a few paragraphs and check out those numbers again about how many people have DIED from drowning).

▪ If you’re too sexy to wear a life jacket, LEARN HOW TO SWIM.

▪ Keep an eye on your kids when they are in or around water. (I’m not altering this rule for the sake of fun.)

▪ Designate your swimming buddy as the SOBER swimming buddy. At least one of you should keep an eye on everybody else and make safety the first priority so everyone else can focus on the fun.

▪ Learn CPR in the wintertime so you can use it in the summertime if you need to.

▪ If you’re going to drink at the beach or the river, just don’t get in the water.

▪ Swim around lifeguards. Obviously.

▪ Also, don’t assume that just because your child has on water wings or “floaties” that he or she is safe enough for you to have a beer or two or three.

“Water wings should never be used as a standalone safety device for young children,” Brown said. “A young child should have a responsible adult with him or her in the water, even if a child has a life jacket on.”

Know the difference

Rip current is probably the most widely used term for wave dangers, but there are other terms you should know.

Surf zone | An area of water between the high tide level on the beach and the seaward side of the breaking waves. Surf zone hazards are broken down into three categories: rip currents, high surf and sneaker waves.

Rip current | A small-scale, surf zone current that moves away from the beach that form as waves break on the beach and trap water between the beach and a sandbar or other underwater feature. The water converges into a narrow, river-like channel that moves away from the shore at high speed.

“Recent research has found that not all rip currents portray the same life cycle as previously thought, in that rip currents may eject someone out farther then bring them back in,” said LaCorte. “However, the best thing to do if caught in a rip current is to remain calm.”

High surf | Large waves that break on shore as a result of swells spawned by a distant storm.

Sneaker wave | A large wave that suddenly swamps a beach and takes people by surprise, often sweeping them into the water. These waves are rare on the East Coast, but they can happen.

“Hurricane Irene created sneaker waves that knocked people unexpectedly off a pier in Florida,” LaCorte said.

Long shore current | This is a current that runs parallel to the beach, which are caused by waves breaking at an angle. These currents can move swimmers down the beach quickly.

Pier structures | Currents around piers can cause swimmers or waders to be pulled toward pier pilongs, which can cause serious lacerations or pull swimmers into deeper water.

Inshore holes | “Swimmers or waders, especially young children, can step from shallow water to water over their heads without realizing it,” said Brown.

Sandbars that are parallel to the shore | “Weak swimmers may wade to a sandbar at low tide and be caught off guard when the tide rises and have problems getting to safety,” Brown said.

That’s why both Brown and LaCorte stress the importance of knowing before you go. Check hazardous conditions before you leave your home, and always swim near a lifeguard.

Break the grip of the rip

If you read nothing else in this article, read this: Here is how you survive a rip current if you find yourself caught in one:

▪ DON’T FIGHT IT. Remain calm.

▪ Relax and float. This saves your energy for what comes next.

▪ Find a landmark on shore, like a house or hotel, and swim PARALLEL to the shoreline toward that landmark until you feel yourself out of the pull of the current.

▪ When you’re free from the grip of the rip, swim at an angle toward the shore and away from the current.

▪ Here’s a fun little rhyme to help you remember: Wave and yell and swim parallel.

Now you know. “Go Joe!”

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 9:14 AM.