Rip Current

A rip current is a narrow, fast, seaward-flowing jet of water that returns water carried shoreward by breaking waves back through the surf zone. It forms where the wave-driven setup along the shore is uneven, often at gaps in a sandbar or beside structures, so water converges alongshore and escapes offshore through the low spot. Rip currents are typically tens of meters wide and can flow at 0.5 to 2 meters per second, faster than a person can swim, which makes them the leading surf-zone drowning hazard. They are part of the nearshore circulation balanced against wave setup and the radiation stress gradient.