It’s National Riptide Awareness Week. Are You Prepared for Summer Swimming?
It’s National Riptide Awareness Week and summer is approaching rather quickly. Very soon, many people will be visiting their local beaches with family and friends. If you or your loved ones enjoy swimming in the ocean, it is important to know how to identify and escape a rip tide.
Rip tides are long, narrow bands of water that can pull any object in their path, away from shore and out to sea. Rip tides are relatively easy to escape if you know how to do so.
Follow these six steps, when swimming in the ocean to help you, if you get caught in a rip tide:
Keep your feet on the bottom: Keeping your feet firmly planted on the sea floor will help ensure your stability and balance in rough water and also help you avoid being swept away by a rip tide.
Remain calm if you are pulled away from the shore: If you get caught in a rip tide, do not panic. Keep your head clear and take a deep breath. Remember, a rip tide usually will not pull you under water; it will only pull you away from shore.
Regain your footing: If you are swimming in rough waters and get knocked down by a wave, regain your balance and footing as quickly as possible to avoid loosing control, in case another wave 
hits the shore or you are in the path of a rip tide.
Call for help immediately if you cannot swim: If you cannot swim, rip currents can be very dangerous. If you do not swim well and feel that you are in danger, get the attention of a lifeguard by waving your arms and yelling for help.
Swim parallel to shore to escape a rip tide: If you are stuck in a rip tide, do not swim in the opposite direction in which the rip tide is pulling you. Instead, swim parallel to the shore and out of the current to escape the rip tide.
Swim toward the shore: Once you escape a rip tide, swim safely back to shore.
Make sure to review and share these steps to avoiding a rip tide with your family members and friends. Remember, if you have young children, always accompany them when they are near or playing in the water.
Swim safely this summer!
Written by: Amanda Haase
