Well the consensus is that the best way to fight the tide is well, to not fight it at all. For surfers the tide can even help. If you know where the undertow is taking you, it’s a good way to hop a ride out to sea so you can save that precious arm strength for catchin’ brutal waves. Sometimes it can be extremely strong leaving some surfers in peril. If you are trying to get out of a rip tide you need to stay calm and paddle parallel to the coast until your out of the rip current. Once you’re out you can take a wave back into shore.
This is what the National Weather Service recommends to do if you’re caught in a rip.
If caught in a rip current:
- Remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
- Never fight against the current.
- Think of it like a treadmill that cannot be turned off, which you need to step to the side of.
- Swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline. When out of the current, swim at an angle–away from the current–towards shore.
- If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards shore.
- If you are still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by waving your arm and yelling for help.
Coastguard rescue video
