How not to drown in the sea - three simple rules. Rip current at sea - what to do and what not to do to avoid drowning

17.10.2021

When in the middle of the working day we suddenly plunge headlong into dreams of a vacation, our imagination draws a beautiful Sandy shore and transparent waves. So you slowly walk into the warm water and, of course, immediately think: “So, so, what color is the flag? Where are the rescuers? Is it even high tide now?” This is ideal. But in reality, such questions are the last thing that comes to mind for wild tourists without sun and sea. And in vain.

Red where it's dangerous

High waves, strong currents, sea life - if you are not a fan of such phenomena, pay attention to the flags. The world's unified beach safety notification system works almost like a traffic light: a red flag is a stern warning of danger, a yellow flag is a less severe warning, and a green flag means it's safe to swim. A checkerboard black and white flag is placed on a beach with waves suitable exclusively for surfing.

According to the US-Australian system, two yellow and red flags located on the sides of the territory are permission to swim while lifeguards are watching over you. From stinging jellyfish, sea urchins, “Portuguese man-of-war”, stingrays and other unfriendly “seafood” are warned by a purple (or blue) flag. The Blue Flag is awarded to the most clean beaches planets. Brown color means the reservoir is polluted.

When the sea is knee-deep

Clear water, a seemingly flat bottom, shallow depth, a romantic night and an uncontrollable desire to swim - this is familiar to many. Especially those who abuse alcohol. Self-control, like sensitivity, decreases. In addition, in the dark, you are less likely to be noticed and rescued, but you are more likely to stumble upon a dangerous object in the water or step on a jellyfish. At night, the temperature of the air and water drops, swimming can lead to cramps - a sharp and rather painful muscle contraction.

Breaker or slaughter

According to statistics, the majority of drowning people, including professional swimmers, die from rip currents. Foreigners call them “rip current”, and we call them “rips”. These are corridors with a current directed towards the ocean, constantly appearing in one place or another, almost near the coast. A person standing only knee-deep in water can be knocked off his feet by this stream and, at a speed of 2-3 meters per second, very quickly carried away from the shore at a distance of up to 400 meters.

“Rips” occur during high tides, when masses of water look for ways to move back into the ocean and choose places of least resistance. Rip currents are especially dangerous in shallow seas with a flat bottom framed by spits and shoals - in the Gulf of Mexico and the Sea of Azov. Fact: 80% of rips are invisible. However, it is still better to stay away from channels of rushing water, areas with discoloration, piles of vegetation moving into the open sea, etc.

You carry me like a river

The rip current is a real river right in the ocean. If you cannot swim, do not go into the water alone. In cases where you are lucky enough to be caught up in a treacherous current, you need to stop the growing panic and swim parallel to the shore, and not against the current. Most often, the "ripa" corridor is narrow - only 2-3 meters - and you can get out of it quickly. Although, there are also wide, 50-meter ones - these are worth giving in to. After all, this is only a current, not a whirlpool. Saving energy is paramount. In a couple of minutes, the breaker wave will weaken, and you can, after swimming a little to the side to be sure, get to the shore without incident.

Goodbye mattresses

Probably the ideal drowned person is a drunken tourist who fell asleep on an air mattress and got caught, for example, in a rip current. Perhaps mattresses, circles, tires, etc. are a solution for non-swimmers, but they are far from the best at sea. It is better to take these unreliable devices with you to the pool, although even there you can doze off and get sunstroke between 12 and 16 o'clock. If you do decide to take a risk, do it in the company of someone and control your well-being under the sun. At the first signs of heatstroke - headache, weakness, feeling of stuffiness, nausea, redness of the face - return to shore.

Calm, just calm

In fact, panic is to blame for everything. Most Accidents could have been prevented if people had not been seized with an intense fear of death. Meditators know how to control themselves in such situations and can even remain calm for long periods of time while waiting for help or enduring serious pain. Fear can also cause convulsions and numbness that prevents you from swimming to shore. A simple solution is to pinch or prick yourself in the area where the muscle cramps. In rare cases of hitting the water, sudden immersion in the cold, severe panic, “dry” drownings occur - syncope, when the heart stops due to vasospasm.

Dive correctly

We all think we know how to dive. Although, even divers and strong swimmers can encounter such terrible phenomena as, for example, loss of consciousness at shallow depths. So here are a couple of simple rules. Before jumping or diving, take a few deep breaths to oxygenate your blood. If you have never dived deeply before, start with ten seconds underwater. Move smoothly, without sudden jumps. The less movement you have underwater, the easier it is to increase your time there. You also need to ascend smoothly, otherwise the difference in pressure will play a cruel joke on your lungs. Snorkeling enthusiasts should get glasses that do not put too much pressure on the bridge of their nose and face.

Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com

March 20, 2015 Warm and gentle sea - this phrase can already be considered established...

However, “warm” is a matter of luck, but “affectionate” - such an impression is often deceptive.

The sea needs to be taken seriously, and swimming well is not enough for this. In order not to become a victim of the “gentle sea” and not to drown in it, you need to know and follow basic safety rules.

The world community has a system for alerting beach safety using flags. Their colors correspond to the colors of the traffic lights - green, yellow, red.

Green indicates that the sea is in this moment calm, no threat to swimmers. The yellow flag calls for caution: you should not swim too far and swim alone. Red is a complete ban on swimming, since it is dangerous in this place and at this time. Sometimes two red flags are hung - increased danger, it is forbidden not only to swim, but also to approach the sea.

The red flag warns of various dangers emanating not only from high waves, as is sometimes thought, but also from marine life, such as sharks, or underwater currents. Therefore, trust professional rescuers and do not assess the state of the sea yourself.

Rule two, well known

Everyone knows that you can’t swim while drunk. However, statistics inexorably prove: most accidents on beaches occur with drunk swimmers. A drunk person is unable to objectively assess the situation and calculate his strength, which leads to disastrous consequences. We believe this rule does not require additional comments.

Rule three: don’t take risks and don’t panic!

During high tides and waves, you should not swim far into the sea. At this time, a very dangerous backflow forms in the water. Because of it, swimmers often drown. Water can pick up a person with great force and begin to carry him into the open sea. At the same time, a person often begins to desperately row to the shore and becomes exhausted. In such cases, you should not panic, but try to swim parallel to the shore in order to swim out of the reverse current. Its width usually does not exceed 2-5 meters. If you find yourself in a whirlpool, the best remedy is to take in more air, dive in and try to turn sharply to the side.

Very often in similar dangerous situations those who swim beyond the buoys or swim outside the specially designated swimming area are caught. The danger increases when a person does not know how to swim well, but at the same time swims far, overly trusting inflatable mattresses or circles. They can be blown away, and far from the coast this is very dangerous.

Without panicking in a difficult situation, knowing and following these simple rules, you can avoid troubles and accidents at sea or ocean, and return home rested, tanned and happy.

Many people who swim well or stay afloat well do not understand how they can drown close to the shore. When they hear news reports during the holiday season about tourists "died near the shore", they think that the victims either did not know how to swim or were intoxicated. But they are wrong. What then is the reason?

We are talking about a very dangerous, but little-known phenomenon - rip currents, which are often also called “rip currents”. There are rip currents in all corners of the planet, in the Gulf of Mexico, the Black Sea, and the island of Bali. Not only ordinary people, but also first-class swimmers who do not know how to behave in this situation can not cope with these insidious rips.

Everything happens unexpectedly: you swam from the shore, and then turned back, but nothing works out... You swim with all your might, but you remain in one place or even move further away. All attempts are unsuccessful, your strength is running out and you are close to panic...

To begin with, it is important to understand the principle of rip operation. This is a type of sea and ocean currents directed at right angles to the shore and formed in the process of the flow of rising water moving towards the sea.

The most dangerous are considered to be rip currents in shallow seas with a flat coast, which is framed by sandbanks, spits and islands (the Sea of Azov, etc.). In these places, during low tide, sand spits prevent the return of the mass of water to the sea. The water pressure on the narrow strait connecting the sea with the estuary increases many times over. As a result, a fast flow is formed, through which water moves at a speed of 2.5-3.0 m/s.

These “corridors” appear in different places near the coast during high tides. Waves roll in and bring a mass of water, and then go into the sea or ocean at different speeds, forming a reverse current. This is observed in areas where the tides frequently ebb and flow.

In the attached photo with a red arrow, the flows of boiling water are not so visible, but the current itself and the people caught in it are clearly visible.

Most often, the width of the rip is 2-3 m, and the current speed is 4-5 km/h, which is not dangerous.
But periodically there are “drafts” up to 50 m wide, up to 200-400 m long and with a speed of up to 15 km/h! This happens much less often. But it happens!
How can you learn to distinguish places where there are rips so as not to fall into them? First of all Pay attention to the following characteristic signs:

The visible channel of rushing water is perpendicular to the shore;

In the coastal zone there are areas with a different shade of water: for example, everything around is light blue or greenish, and some area is white. Areas with foam, moving seaweed and bubbles that move from the shore into the open sea;
There is a 5-10 meter gap in the continuous strip of tidal waves;

If you notice any of the above, never swim in this area. But the danger is that 80% of sudden rips do not manifest themselves outwardly. It is in their “tenacious clutches” that most tourists fall. Only professional rescuers can identify such areas.

It is important to remember that rip currents often occur near the shore, so they can even pull in people standing in waist-deep or chest-deep water. And if swimmers have a great chance of survival, then people who cannot swim have a critically low chance of survival. Therefore, do not swim alone and do not enter places that seem suspicious to you.

Give preference to busy beaches where lifeguards are on duty.

And always pay attention to red flags and signs on the beach in areas where swimming is strictly prohibited. This is not a joke!

And the most important moment! How should those caught in such a current behave?

Rules of conduct in rip currents

1. Overcome panic! Pull yourself together, because people, knowledgeable about the rules behavior in rip, are saved in 99% of cases.

2. Save your strength! There is no need to row with all your might against the current, losing energy reserves. You need to swim not to the shore, but to the side, parallel to the beach. If the rip is narrow (up to 5 m), you will get out of it very quickly.

3. Analyze! If you row according to the rules - to the side, but cannot get out, then the rip is wide (from 20 m or more). Then immediately stop wasting energy and panicking! The reverse flow is usually short-lived and will stop after 3-4 minutes. After this, swim 50-100 m to the side, and only then return to the shore with breaks.

The following facts will help you avoid panic:

Rip won't drag you down. Most often, rip currents are short and the upper layer of water moves at high speed, which supports floating objects.

The rip is not particularly wide. Its width does not exceed 50 m. And in most cases it is only 10-20 m. As a result, after swimming literally 20-30 m along the shore, you will notice that you have swam out of the rip.

Rip length is limited. The current weakens quite quickly, the “dragon” loses its strength where the waves reach their peak and begin to break. In surfer slang this place is called “line up”. This is where all the surfers gather, preparing to conquer the incoming waves. Usually the “line up” is located no further than 100 m from the shore.

Every year thousands of tourists drown around the world. Moreover, they are not drowning somewhere far away deserted beaches, and in the most crowded and popular places. Literally 50 meters from the shore.

Why is this happening? Why do people who can swim drown near the shore? And they drown regardless of age, gender and physical condition - even good athletes sometimes cannot swim to the surface. Because they behave incorrectly in the ocean, do not know the basics of safety precautions and panic at a critical moment.

In this post, I will tell you about the most common accidents in the ocean. About reverse currents, about the so-called channels, once in which a person is instantly carried away open ocean. In English this phenomenon is called rip current.

Let's start with the theory.

The ocean is not a sea or a river, and certainly not a lake with calm water. The ocean is a much more complex and dangerous thing. Tides are created by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun on the Earth and its oceans, having a direct effect on wave patterns.

At low tide, you may encounter exposed rocks or reefs that weren't there six hours ago. As a rule, in this case the waves become steeper and break further from the shore.

High tides tend to create softer, slower breaking waves. Tides can also cause rip currents, which are created when waves hit rocks or sandbanks on the coast and ricochet back out to sea.

Imagine ocean waves that roll onto the shore over and over again and bring more and more water. But this water mass does not remain on the shore, but returns back to the ocean. How? Through channels that are formed as a result of waves breaking on the shore. Here's what it looks like schematically:

That is, the wave breaks on the coastal shallows, and then, accumulating in a certain place, goes back into the ocean, forming a reverse current. It looks like a river in the ocean. And this is the most dangerous place all over the beach! The speed of the current in the canal reaches 2-3 meters per second and once you get into it, you will instantly be carried away from the shore. At this moment, most people panic, they begin to frantically fight the current and row as hard as they can towards the shore. And the waves keep covering and covering, and having lost all strength, the person drowns.

THIS IS THE CAUSE OF MORE THAN HALF OF ALL DEATHS IN THE OCEAN!

The most dangerous thing is that you can find yourself in such a channel, even standing waist-deep or chest-deep in water. That is, feeling confidently at the bottom beneath you and suddenly you suddenly begin to be sucked into the ocean! So what should you do if you end up caught in a rip current and, despite all your efforts, are carried into the ocean?

There are several basic rules that you need to remember and always keep in mind:

1. Don't panic!

Panic is the enemy in any extreme situation. When a person panics, instead of soberly assessing the situation and making the right decisions, he is guided by his instincts and most often does the wrong thing.

2. Save energy!

There is no need to fight the current and row with all your might back to the shore. It's useless. It is unlikely that you will have enough strength to overcome the force of the current in the canal. You need to row not towards the shore, but sideways, that is, parallel to the shore!

3. Don't swim in the ocean alone!

The golden rule is - if you're not sure, don't interfere! Try to swim on busy beaches, where there are other people besides you and preferably lifeguards.

This is what it looks like schematically correct actions in case of getting caught in a reverse current:

There are a number of other important points that you need to know and remember:

The channel will never drag you to the bottom! A reverse current occurs on the surface and does not form funnels or whirlpools. The channel will drag you along the surface from the shore, but not to the depths.

The channel is not wide! Typically the channel width does not exceed 50 meters. And most often it is limited to 10-20 meters in total. That is, after swimming literally 20-30 meters along the shore, you will feel like you have swam out of the canal.

Channel length is limited! The current will weaken quite quickly, the channel ends its “work” where the waves reach their peak and begin to break. In surfer's language this place is called "line up". This is where all the surfers usually hang out and try to ride the incoming waves. Usually this is no further than 100 meters from the shore.

This is what the channel looks like in real life:

That is, you see that the channel even differs in the color of the water from the rest of the water mass. In this case, it is sand raised by waves from the coastal shallows, which the canal carried into the ocean. The fact that sand is on the surface of the water just shows that the reverse flow is superficial and forms only on the surface.

How to “see” a channel?

All channels have their own distinct features:

If you see any of the things described, consider yourself lucky and just don't go swimming in that place. What if you don't see any of the four signs? This means that you are out of luck, because 80 percent of dangerous spontaneously occurring “channels” (flash rips) do not visually manifest themselves in any way. That is, professional rescuers will still be able to identify these places, but ordinary tourists are unlikely to.

In most cases, there are flags on the beaches that can change their location throughout the day. The color of the flags is the same all over the world and is very easy to remember:

The red and yellow flag means that there are lifeguards on the beach and that it is safe to swim between these flags.

Every year thousands of tourists drown around the world. Moreover, they drown not somewhere far away on deserted beaches, but in the most crowded and popular places. Literally 50 meters from the shore.

In this post, I will tell you about the most common accidents in the ocean. About reverse currents, about the so-called channels, once in which a person is instantly carried away into the open ocean. In English this phenomenon is called - rip current.

Let's start with the theory.

At low tide, you may encounter exposed rocks or reefs that weren't there six hours ago. As a rule, in this case the waves become steeper and break further from the shore.

High tides tend to create softer, slower breaking waves. Tides can also cause rip currents, which are created when waves hit rocks or sandbanks on the coast and ricochet back out to sea.

That is, the wave breaks on the coastal shallows, and then, accumulating in a certain place, goes back into the ocean, forming a reverse current. It looks like a river in the ocean. And this is the most dangerous place on the entire beach! The speed of the current in the canal reaches 2-3 meters per second and once you get into it, you will instantly be carried away from the shore. At this moment, most people panic, they begin to frantically fight the current and row as hard as they can towards the shore. And the waves keep covering and covering, and having lost all strength, the person drowns.

THIS IS THE CAUSE OF MORE THAN HALF OF ALL DEATHS IN THE OCEAN!

There are several basic rules that you need to remember and always keep in mind:

1. DON'T PANIC!

2. SAVE ENERGY!

3. DON'T SWIM IN THE OCEAN ALONE!

The golden rule is - if you're not sure, don't interfere! Try to swim on busy beaches, where there are other people besides you and preferably lifeguards.

Here is a schematic diagram of the correct actions in case of getting caught in a reverse current:

There are a number of other important points that you need to know and remember:

This is what the channel looks like in real life:

How to “see” a channel?

All channels have their own distinct features:

In most cases, there are flags on the beaches that can change their location throughout the day. The color of the flags is the same all over the world and is very easy to remember:

The red and yellow flag means that there are lifeguards on the beach and that it is safe to swim between these flags.

Red flag - swimming in this place (between the red flags) is strictly prohibited!

Sometimes you look at the ocean - the waves seem small, but there is a red flag on the beach. And when at this moment you still want to climb into the ocean for a swim, remember about the currents and what is written here.

Theory is a great power - sometimes basic knowledge of some basics can save your life.

Therefore, if you are flying on vacation to the ocean (not necessarily to Bali), always remember basic safety precautions. Tell your friends and family about this. This information is clearly not superfluous in your knowledge base.