why you should stop swimming and start floating
Tim Elliott
WeeklyHave a nice weekend‘s how-to column shares expert advice on how to tackle some of the big and small challenges of modern life. This week: How to survive a tear?
Australians love the beach, but with swimming skills decreasing and drowning rates increasing, it’s important to learn how to deal with currents. Coastal scientist, beach safety researcher and professor at UNSW’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences. “Almost every open ocean surf beach in Australia will often have rips, and some will often have several at various intervals along the shore,” says Rob Brander. “An average of 25 to 30 people drown in rip currents each year—more deaths from wildfires, floods, hurricanes and sharks combined.”
Brander, aka Dr Rip, has built his entire career on educating people about rips. “Think of sea currents like rivers in the sea,” he says. “They exist as a mechanism to carry the water brought by breaking waves back from the shore.” The ripples start near the shoreline, where many people swim, and flow outward through the waves and a little further beyond. They generally have deeper, darker water and fewer breaking waves. Surfers often use them to get beyond the break, just like a liquid traveler.
The best way to avoid a crevasse is to not get into it in the first place. Brander recommends swimming among flags manned by lifeguards. However, if you are swimming on a beach without a flag or lifeguard and you get caught, the first rule is don’t panic. “Try to relax and float and signal for help by raising your arm to attract attention.” If there are surfers nearby, call. Remember that a tear is just taking you for a ride. Contrary to popular perception, Brander says a rip won’t pull you underwater or drag you into New Zealand or into shark-infested waters (unless you’re already in shark-infested waters). He adds that many currents are actually circulating, so if you just swim and preserve your energy, you’ll be back in shallow water safely (albeit 100 yards or so from where you started).
Another important rule: never try to swim back to shore against split. The waves can be strong and flow faster than most people can swim: you will only exhaust yourself by struggling against a current. “If you’re a good swimmer, look around and swim slowly toward the rip edge,” says Brander.
Think of it like swimming towards the edge of a river. Once you no longer feel the water pulling you out, you can start moving towards land or let the waves wash over you.
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