The sea is a living element; it is never motionless. Their movements depend on the influence of the moon, the temperature, the density of the water, the force of the wind…

Lifeguards know the beach where we provide service and we are aware of the state of the sea, the wind, and the storms… we must also take into account environmental factors such as the presence of jellyfish, spills, floating objects, or course the waves…

The waves, which vary according to the wind and depth, can break gently or violently when the seabed drops sharply, creating a risky situation for swimmers. There are also ocean currents, which are huge rivers within the sea. Surface currents are due to the wind and the rotation of the earth.

The deep ones, of great importance for life in the sea, the changes in temperature and the supply of oxygen they produce make them vital for the inhabitants of the waters. But the currents that most interest us as lifeguards are the rip currents , in reality, they are not sea currents as such, they are not continuous or permanent, they depend on the moment and the orography of the terrain.

In certain places, they can be predicted as long as the wind and tide hold, but in others they are unpredictable. These rip currents are the ones that cause the greatest number of rescues among our lifeguard and in general on all the beaches where they occur.

A rip current originates on the shore, most often on sandbars and groynes. It contains the water of the waves that have already broken and heads out to sea perpendicular to the beach. The closer it is to the shore, the more speed it acquires and its strength is greater than the number of waves and when the tide goes out.

They are created at specific points on the beach, either by the steep slope of the seabed, or, sometimes, by the confluence of two currents that run in the opposite direction. Imagine a triangle with a point toward the shore. At the apex, the current that drags you out to sea begins. They don’t take you to the bottom, they don’t sink you, they just take you away from the beach.

During lifeguard training, you learn all these things and be able to coup up with them efficiently. A good lifeguard training centre such as The American Lifeguard Association provides you with various levels of learning programs for lifeguard training for you to choose from. 

You have the feeling that it sucks you in. They are very strong currents, not even expert swimmers can get out of them. The way out is simple if you know her and stay calm. Don’t fight it, let it carry you and try to come out sideways, diagonally, at a 45 degree angle.

If you feel fatigued, raise your hand for the lifeguard to locate you and try to float and swim parallel to the beach, it will weaken and as soon as you leave the current channel the waves will bring you closer to the beach. If you see someone in trouble in a rip current, alert the lifeguard, don’t try to help yourself.

Remember that the strength of these currents is greater than that of an expert swimmer. When help arrives, yell at him how to get out, and ask him to try to float and not exhaust himself swimming against the current.

Also Find Out: ALA lifeguard classes near me

Whenever possible, we signal the currents so that bathers avoid them. I will tell you that, sometimes, lifeguards use these currents to reach a victim faster, the force propels us out to sea and helps us, but in most cases, they generate problems and rescues that are not always easy.

Remember: if you stay calm and don’t exhaust yourself, you’ll come out by yourself as soon as the current weakens.

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