Cooperation between NOAA and the local lifeguards is essential for passing accurate information onto the public. However, it is important to point out that spotting rip currents is problematic even for lifeguards. Much of the public education information about rip currents wrongly assumes that the public can be taught how to identify rip currents. Our research indicates that this is clearly not the case.
In addition the rip current signs found on nearly every beach in Florida instruct bathers caught in a rip current not to panic, allow the rip current to take you out to sea until the rip current weakens and then swim parallel to the beach and finally back to shore. This advise is flawed because in the majority of cases there is a lonshore current. If a bather swims parallel to the beach and in the direction of the longshore current, it’s likely that the bahter will be inadvertantly transported back into the rip current.
For more information about rip currents please refer to the newly published book edited by Leatherman and Fletemeyer, “Rip Currents Beach Ssafety, Physical Oceanography and Wave Modeling,” CRC Press and refer to the editorial appearing in Aquatics International (June 2009).
During the first International Rip Current Symposium last year in Miami many of the world’s leading rip current experts sadly acknowleded that there is a serious disocnnect between rip current science and public education.
It’s clear to me that many of the drownings occuring in the Florida Panhandle is the consequence of this disconnect.
Sadly many of the policy makers and stakeholders will continue to rely on information about rip currents that may not be entirely accurate.
Finally the flag system wihout lifeguards probably contributes very little in regards to reducing the number of rip current drownings. Large sums of money and man hours invested in changing the flags has been and contnues to be wasted.
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Cooperation between NOAA and the local lifeguards is essential for passing accurate information onto the public. However, it is important to point out that spotting rip currents is problematic even for lifeguards. Much of the public education information about rip currents wrongly assumes that the public can be taught how to identify rip currents. Our research indicates that this is clearly not the case.
In addition the rip current signs found on nearly every beach in Florida instruct bathers caught in a rip current not to panic, allow the rip current to take you out to sea until the rip current weakens and then swim parallel to the beach and finally back to shore. This advise is flawed because in the majority of cases there is a lonshore current. If a bather swims parallel to the beach and in the direction of the longshore current, it’s likely that the bahter will be inadvertantly transported back into the rip current.
For more information about rip currents please refer to the newly published book edited by Leatherman and Fletemeyer, “Rip Currents Beach Ssafety, Physical Oceanography and Wave Modeling,” CRC Press and refer to the editorial appearing in Aquatics International (June 2009).
During the first International Rip Current Symposium last year in Miami many of the world’s leading rip current experts sadly acknowleded that there is a serious disocnnect between rip current science and public education.
It’s clear to me that many of the drownings occuring in the Florida Panhandle is the consequence of this disconnect.
Sadly many of the policy makers and stakeholders will continue to rely on information about rip currents that may not be entirely accurate.
Finally the flag system wihout lifeguards probably contributes very little in regards to reducing the number of rip current drownings. Large sums of money and man hours invested in changing the flags has been and contnues to be wasted.