SURVIVAL CODEX LIBRARY How to Avoid Getting Caught in a Rip Current National Weather Service · Source: NOAA / National Weather Service How to avoid rip currents at the beach: check the beach forecast, talk to the lifeguard, swim only where lifeguards are on duty, and know that rip currents often form on calm, sunny days. READ WITH CARE: We copied this page on 2 October 2026. Agencies revise this guidance, so check the original for the current version, and in a real emergency follow instructions from local officials. ABOUT THIS COPY: Made by Survival Codex on 2 October 2026 from the agency's own page. The agency's text that follows is unchanged; only this cover and the closing page are ours. It is a work of the U.S. federal government, in the public domain in the United States (17 U.S.C. §105). FREE AT THE SOURCE: https://www.weather.gov/safety/ripcurrent NO ENDORSEMENT: Our use of this material does not imply endorsement by NOAA / National Weather Service or the U.S. Government of Survival Codex, its products or services. https://survivalcodex.com/pages/library/nws-how-to-avoid-getting-caught-in-a-rip-current ================================================================ HOW TO AVOID GETTING CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT ================================================================ Surf/Rip Resources - Play It Safe Videos: Gulf Coast Beaches | Great Lakes - Watch Dr. Greg Dusek discuss rip current awareness. - Check water conditions before going in by looking at the local beach forecast before you leave for the beach and talking to the lifeguard at the beach. - Only swim at a beach with lifeguards. The chances of drowning at a beach with lifeguards are 1 in 18 million (U.S. Lifesaving Association). - Don't assume! Great weather for the beach does not always mean it's safe to swim or even play in the shallows. Rip currents often form on calm, sunny days. - What are scientists doing to keep swimmers safer? Find out in this video: Predict the Rip - Rip currents aren't the only deadly beach hazard. Learn more about dangerous waves and other hazards and why you should never to turn your back on the ocean. Third party sources that promote rip current and beach safety information are listed on this page and on pages on this safety website. NWS does not endorse these non-federal sites. Any fee or payment required for service is the responsibility of the consumer. ================================================================ SURVIVAL CODEX LIBRARY End of the agency text. The current version of this guidance is always at https://www.weather.gov/safety/ripcurrent. Agencies revise their advice; check the original, and in an emergency follow instructions from local officials. More free U.S. government manuals and guides, filed by the job you need them for: https://survivalcodex.com/pages/library This document: https://survivalcodex.com/pages/library/nws-how-to-avoid-getting-caught-in-a-rip-current Survival Codex: https://survivalcodex.com