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A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal flow of water within estuaries and other enclosed tidal areas. The riptides become the strongest where ...
A rip current (or just rip) is a specific type of water current that can occur near beaches where waves break. A rip is a strong, localized, and narrow current of water that moves directly away from the shore by cutting through the lines of breaking waves, like a river flowing out to sea. The force of the current in a rip is strongest and ...
What causes rip currents? Rip currents are caused by the interaction of waves, tides, and underwater topography. When waves break unevenly, the water flows back out to sea in concentrated channels.
In contrast to undertow, rip currents are responsible for the great majority of drownings close to beaches. When a swimmer enters a rip current, it starts to carry them offshore. The swimmer can exit the rip current by swimming at right angles to the flow, parallel to the shore, or by simply treading water or floating until the rip releases them.
Ernesto's most dangerous conditions remain the surf and rip currents, though it will bring rain, heavy winds and big waves to southeastern Newfoundland as early as Monday night.
Rip currents, which can unexpectedly pull beachgoers out to sea, account for nearly 80% of all lifeguard rescues, according to the United States Lifesaving Association. But what is exactly is a ...
Tsunamis, the large waves that occur after earthquakes, are sometimes called tidal waves, but this name is given by their resemblance to the tide, rather than any causal link to the tide. Other phenomena unrelated to tides but using the word tide are rip tide, storm tide, hurricane tide, and black or red tides. Many of these usages are historic ...
Riptides or rip currents are powerful currents of water that can pull people away from shore, according to the National Weather Service. They can be deadly: data from the NWS shows rip currents ...