The wave that carries the name into the sea. Rip - a real danger at sea, which is little known

In English, the rip current is called "RIP CURRENT", not without reason alluding to the sad abbreviation R.I.P. (Reast in peace - rest in peace). Indeed, many tragic cases are associated with rip currents.

A rip current is formed when waves and wind bring a lot of water to the shore - it flows along the coastline until it finds an outlet back into the sea (or lake - rip currents are found on lakes too).

The highest speed of water movement is on the surface of the rip current. Therefore, it extinguishes the waves going to the shore and from the side looks like a completely calm water surface. Especially often, rip currents occur when wind blows on the shore strong wind or a hurricane is raging offshore.

Rip currents are very dangerous - in the US they claim 46 lives annually, 80% of all coastal search operations are associated with rip currents. Their main danger is that a person, having fallen into a rip current, sees that he is carried far into the sea and tries to swim against the current - to the shore. Unable to cope with the current, the swimmer is exhausted and drowns. Therefore, the main rule of salvation for those who fell into the rip current is as follows.

You need to swim not to the shore, but parallel to the shore. This current resembles a treadmill - to stop running, it is enough to take a step to the side. But getting out of it is not easy - sometimes you need to swim dozens of meters along the coast.

How to determine the rip current?

From the side, the rip current may look like a break in coastal waves with a suspicious calm water. Or like a wide channel of turbulent water, perpendicular to the coastline. Or as a strip of water that stands out in color, on the surface of which foam, algae and bubbles quickly float.

What is it and why is it dangerous? Anapa is primarily a water resort. People come from the Black Sea. They want to swim there, relax, go diving and surfing. However, in addition to a favorable climate, abundance warm days and developed infrastructure, there are features of the area that you should know about in advance. For example, about the reverse flow.

Reverse flow - what is it

This is the name of a type of sea current. This is the movement of coastal waters. It is formed when a mass of water first moves towards the shore, then stretches back. It is at the moment of outflow of liquid that a reverse flow occurs.

Many people think that such a current pulls people down, under the water. In reality, the force of the current pulls back, away from the shore.
This is a characteristic phenomenon for the beaches of oceans, seas, even large lakes, where coastal waters form waves. Anapa has comfortable, gently sloping beaches where everyone can swim, even small children and inexperienced swimmers. But because of this, even a small, short storm can cause a real reverse current (draft).

What is dangerous "reverse flow"?

It is interesting that the phenomenon occurs not only at moments strong winds and fluctuations in the water, but also when a real calm reigns in the sea. This drag is dangerous. It is impossible to predict when it will arise, where and how long it will last.
The most dangerous are currents that arise in shallow seas with gently sloping coasts. They are framed by high sandbanks, there are spits and small islands. During periods of low tide, the mass of water gradually goes back to the sea. This is prevented by sandbars. Water pressure is not evenly distributed most of falls on narrow, small straits that connect the main part of the sea with the estuary. The pressure grows rapidly, as a result, a rapid stream is formed there, where the water moves 2.5-3.0 m / s.

Signs of backflow formation:

• there the waves seem to be smaller, the surface is calmer;
• the color of the water is brown, it is affected by the sand raised by the current;
• foam is formed, algae accumulate.

What to do if you get into such a drag? First of all, don't fight. Swimming against the current formed there is useless, the pressure of the water is too high. As a rule, the width of the current will be small. Therefore, in order to escape, you need to keep calm, swim straight ahead, keeping along the coast, until the force of the current gradually ceases to be felt. Then carefully get out to land.
The current is weakened by the waves. When they, reaching a peak, break, having reached the shore, the drag disappears. Surfers call this phenomenon "line up". They try to gather in such places in order to conquer all the incoming waves.

Is it possible to submit to the traction? Some risk-takers try to find the drags to see where the current takes them. Especially if it does not pull people down, but drags them. Under no circumstances should this be done. After all, a rip current can drag you into a deep-water zone or a place where there will be another undercurrent. Even experienced swimmers and divers cannot predict the route of the tyagun. It is better to carefully get off it and keep children away from such places.

According to beach lifeguards, in the most different cities Thailand, Russian tourists, like no one else, ignore the rules of conduct on open water, resulting in incidents with them being the most common. That is why we want to talk in detail about the danger, which, at times, lurk in the azure coastal waters kingdoms.

Underwater currents or, as they are indicated on warning signs, Rip current, can be a great danger to a swimmer even at a close distance from the coast (at a depth of waist, and sometimes even ankle-deep). In a matter of seconds, they are able to carry even the most experienced and strong swimmer far into the open sea. RIPs can be the result of tides or occur due to subsidence of underwater soil, or are formed from monsoon winds There are many options and sometimes it is very difficult to predict them.

What is the danger?

There are several options for the development of events, depending on how far a person is from the coast.

1. The most common is when those who want to splash in the depths swim far from the shore. After the swimmers have enjoyed the open sea to their heart's content, they try to return, but they realize that no matter how hard they try, not only are they not getting closer, but they are even further away from the shore.
2. Another option is when, at a shallow depth (from the ankle to the waist), the bathers realize that they are simply not able to get out of the water, and the so-called “squeeze” current (which occurs when the wave rolls back from the shore) pulls them to an ever greater depth, and from there to the open sea.
3. And finally, the third option, when vacationers, also at shallow depths, frolic in the surf and do not follow its interval. In this case, the first unnoticed wave knocks the swimmer off his feet, the second one covers, depriving him of oxygen and dragging him to a great depth. The man tries to get up, but he is again covered and pulled away by the next wave. At some point, a swollen, exhausted and completely disoriented swimmer realizes that there is no longer a bottom under his feet, and he is blown into the sea.

Why do we describe these situations in such detail?

The fact is that even though Russia is washed by 13 seas, most of the inhabitants of our country are simply not familiar with the nature and laws of the oceans. It is very difficult for a person who has never lived by the sea to understand how one can drown while knee-deep in water?

In addition, many of our compatriots consider themselves very experienced and strong swimmers - every day they swim a kilometer in the pool in their homeland or even have a sports category in swimming. And therefore, they will definitely cope with some kind of flow there.

Still others naively believe that such things can happen to anyone, but not to them. The Russian mentality is very often aggravated under the influence of alcoholic beverages, without which many people cannot imagine rest. The result of all this is a large proportion of Russian tourists among those drowned off the coast of Thailand.

girl case

For those who still doubt the insidiousness of the sea king, we will give a completely incredible story one girl who decided to take a picture on the shore, standing ankle-deep in water, at a time when the beach was closed for swimming.

In a series of five photographs taken over a period of 30 seconds, you can clearly see how the first wave begins to pull the posing girl into the sea, while the second wave is already coming from behind, knocking her down and pulling her even further. In the next frame, we see a girl who is completely in the seething water already a few meters from the place where she was photographed.

Saved the girl. But the commotion on the beach was strong.

How do you know if you can swim?

With our article, we do not want to say that you cannot swim in Thailand, this is not so. You can and should swim, but after learning from local residents and beach workers about the presence of danger and closely monitoring the behavior of the ocean.

On many beaches today they install special characters, notifying about the presence of Rip current. If red flags are posted, it means that swimming is strictly prohibited. Remember, you will not be forcibly kept ashore, as they do, for example, in Vietnam. But know that by climbing into the water, you risk not only your life, but also the life of rescuers or other people who, in case of emergency, will rush to your aid.

It is most likely to fall into the paws of the undercurrent during the monsoons, which come at a certain time. In Phuket, for example, it is May-October. Also, due to the different underwater landscape, the beaches have a different probability of occurrence of such phenomena. Again, in Phuket, Karon, Surin, Kata, Kata Noi and Nai Harn enjoy a bad reputation in this regard.

Rules of conduct on the water

1. Before entering the water, make sure the beach is open for swimming (red flags indicate that swimming is prohibited);
2. Don't swim behind the buoys;
3. Children should never swim alone on a beach where counter currents are possible;
4. Watch the wave cycle. Always keep them in sight;
5. When leaving the sea, make sure that the waves coming from behind do not knock you off your feet;
6. Have a safety pin in your trunks in case your arm or leg cramps.

If you are caught in a Rip current and you are carried away from the shore

• Don't try to fight the elements. The very first thing you have to do is to control yourself and deal with the panic.
• Notice the landmarks on the shore, then to understand where to return.
• You can choose any of the ways to deal with RIP:

1. Further, slowly, saving strength, start swimming along the coast, i.e. perpendicular to the flow.
2. Start rowing towards the shore only when you feel that you have swum out of the current or got into a countercurrent that is carrying you to the shore. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to swim quite a lot (300-400 meters, and possibly a kilometer).

Bathing in coastal waves:

1. Ocean waves are longer and more powerful than sea waves. For those who are used to swimming in the sea, this sometimes becomes an unpleasant surprise.
2. If you do not know the features of the bottom (you can get acquainted with it at low tide), do not go into the sea into the waves. This is fraught with dangerous injuries.
3. Always notice the cycle of the waves and keep them in your field of vision.
4. If the wave knocked you down and swirled underwater, hold your breath and relax. So you save oxygen, and your cerebellum will quickly understand where the bottom is, and where the top is. As you surface, be aware of the wave interval.

Have a safe holiday!

Going on vacation to hot countries, tourists usually dream of a calm gentle sea, caressing their feet, transparent and filled with many colorful fish and beautiful corals. Isn't it wonderful to lie on the sand, sip the juice from a freshly cut coconut palm tree and feel the pleasant coolness of the sea waves washing your feet? The last thing you want to get into trouble at such moments, right? Unfortunately, the sea is fraught with many dangers. It is insidious. Especially for those who don't know about marine habits, to unprepared people. Alas, but this is a fact - 99% of Russians can be attributed to the number of such people. There is a chance that you or someone you know is at risk.

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One of the most frequent and main problems that people swimming in the sea may encounter is the so-called rip current (rip current, channel, rip). In Phuket, several people drown every week because of it during the rainy season. And not only with us. Just ask Google to get a huge amount sad human stories.

What is this rip current responsible for 80% of drownings at sea, you ask?

The sea does not stand still. It fluctuates. Therefore, sometimes waves appear on the sea. They come, hit the shore and then leave. But how?! After all, new and new waves come after them! At some point, the sea chooses for itself places in which it is easier for the water to go back to the depth. These places may be associated with the bottom topography, may be formed during storms. If we are talking about sandy beaches, then nothing is easier for the sea than washing channels in the sand for yourself. Through these channels, water begins to leave. In them, a rip current appears.

As a rule, the stronger the waves on the sea, the stronger the rip current. But there are exceptions, so do not relax.

What to do if you are still caught in the stream? The answer is simple: do not panic! Remember that the most important thing you can do now is stay on the surface of the water. There are a few simple tips to help you save yourself:

Row parallel to the shore, or don't row at all

This is the most important thing to remember. You have fallen into a canal, you are being dragged away from the shore, you are getting scared. You start rowing towards the shore to feel the ground under your feet again, but this is wrong! Some of the rip currents develop speeds up to 3 m/s. Man can't swim that fast. Even athletes. Therefore, you simply do not have a chance to swim against the current. Look at these pictures:

These are schematic representations of the rip. They show three main features of fenders:

1. The width of the channel is usually 5-15 m. Therefore, if you swim parallel to the shore, it will not take so long to row to get out of the current.
2. The flow is losing its power. You won't be dragged out to sea forever.
3. Most often, the current has the shape of a horseshoe, so it can also bring you back to shore.

Dive under the waves that attack you

I repeat, your main task is to stay on the surface. Watch what is happening around you and don't let the waves crash on you unexpectedly. Get ready for them. In fact, perhaps no waves will crash on you, because you are in a channel. But just in case, you need to be prepared.

Wave your hand to get attention

Perhaps screaming at the top of my lungs is not best strategy to draw attention. But waving your hand, attracting help, can be useful. Rescuers can quickly respond to this gesture. And maybe people on the shore will also turn their attention to you.

Do not panic!

I do not find it shameful to repeat twice: do not panic. Don't waste your precious energy on these nonsense.

Finally, I suggest you watch two videos about rips on English language(If you do not know the language, also watch at least the video sequence).

First short:

Second nice one:

And remember: if you see red flags on the beach saying no swimming, the best thing you can do for yourself is not to swim. Don't go deeper than knee-deep into the water, or don't go at all. So you will definitely save yourself. Do not forget on vacation that you have a brain and it can think.

I sincerely hope that you will not have the need to test my advice in practice. I wish you a pleasant holiday without unnecessary incidents!

What's this? Streams of water brought to the shore by waves accumulate there and, breaking the oncoming waves in a certain place, go back to the sea, dragging everything that comes in their way. This is usually a narrow stream of water directed perpendicular to the coastline. But its strength, size and direction can vary depending on external conditions.

Knowing what it is, everyone will want to know where it happens most often.

Where is it? Having scanned the Internet forums, blogs of tourists and comments on articles, I picked up a hundred cases with RIPs described by tourists. Here is an example of one of the cases:

Alina(India, 2015):
I fell into such a current in Kerala. Alas, then she had no information about him and did everything wrong: she tried to swim to the shore, panicked and wasted her strength. Then I took a sip of water a couple of times and suddenly saw a life buoy in front of me - the lifeguard from the shore realized what was happening to me and swam after me. The memories are terrible, then I couldn’t talk for about 30 minutes, I stuttered wildly when I tried to pronounce any phrase, and I was also shaking wildly. I have been a good swimmer since childhood and could never imagine that I would sink for real ...

Having compiled a list of a hundred cases, I distributed them according to the geography of rest. As a result of this "unscientific" analysis, it turned out that the largest number of cases with RIP occurred in Thailand(22 out of a hundred), with 18 in Phuket. In eight cases, the tourists swam out of the RIPs themselves, in two cases, rescuers helped, seven victims were helped by those who were nearby (relatives or strangers), in five cases, the tourists drowned.

After studying all the cases, some conclusions must be drawn:

1. You can swim out of the rip current, but for this you need to be able to swim well and swim in the right direction. Below is an illustration of how to swim out of the RIP.

2. For greater safety, you should swim on beaches where there are lifeguards, be in their visibility zone and follow the requirements of signal flags. In practice, our tourists do not pay attention to warning posters and red flags. You have to be especially careful on wild beaches.

3. Often completely strangers come to the rescue - try to swim next to other vacationers and immediately call for help if you feel that you are being carried away by the current. If you are carried far away, then because of the noise of the surf you will not be heard.

4. Unfortunately, prescriptions and advice do not always help, and tourists often drown. Here are a few accidents taken from the Vinsky Forum (abridged):

Futuramik(07/01/2016):
In Thailand, on the island of Phuket, a 28-year-old Russian drowned while swimming.

Sergey22(08/15/2016):
A tourist from Russia drowned in the sea on the island of Phuket, ignoring the warning red flags.

fidel castro(09/26/2016):
A Russian tourist drowned in the sea near the island of Phuket.

Sergey22(08.11.2016):
The Russian drowned on the beach of Bang Tao (Phuket).

From these reports it is clear that only on one island of Phuket our tourists drown almost every month. (For reference: 260 people drowned in Phuket in 2016.)

For other places of rest, cases with RIPs showed the following numbers (in descending order):

There are 16 cases in the Black Sea (14 in Russia, 2 in Abkhazia).

Indonesia - 13 cases (10 - Bali, 2 - Java, 1 - Sulawesi),

India - 9 cases (including GOA - 6).

Sri Lanka - 4 cases.

Three cases each: Cyprus (Paphos), Greece (2 Crete + 1 Corfu), Israel (2 Haifa + 1 Bat Yam).

Two cases each: the Sea of ​​Azov, the Baltic Sea (Kaliningrad, Klaipeda), the Caspian Sea, the Canary Islands (Tenerife), Australia (Sydney), the USA (Florida, California).

Isolated cases can be ignored. In Turkey and Egypt, there were no cases with RIPs on the list, but this does not mean that they are not there at all.

Anticipating criticism regarding the reliability of the data, their representativeness and compliance with the theory of correlation and regression analysis, I agree with all the comments in advance: the reliability of the described cases was not checked, the total attendance of countries was not taken into account, isolated cases cannot characterize the situation in countries as a whole.

For example, one case each in Sakhalin and the Kuriles does not reflect the real danger of local RIPs, enhanced by undercurrents.

Only two cases in Australia are associated with low tourist traffic in this direction. It should be added that RIPs are considered the main danger on Australian beaches. The Australian Coastal Rescue Service counted 17,000 RIPs along the entire coast of the mainland.

Similar situation in the USA (2 cases) and South America(isolated cases).

Safety rules at sea can be printed on the website in the form of leaflets:

No. 1 How to swim out of the rip current (pdf, A5 format).

№ 2 What is a backwater flow (pdf, A4 format).

If you print these leaflets on both sides of the sheet, you can get two leaflets half the size.