How to recognize a rip current and what should you do?

You frequently read about it in the news. People who have gotten into trouble (and worse, even to the point of death) due to the strong current of a rip current. For instance, in Julianadorp (North Holland), a Polish man (37) lost his life after rescuing three children from the water and a 15-year-old boy from Monster. The rescue brigade saved 42 people from a life-threatening situation at sea last weekend. These people would have otherwise died or sustained permanent injuries. In this blog, we explain how to recognize a rip current and what to do if you encounter one.

How do you recognize a rip current?
A rip current is, simply put, a channel in the sea between two sandbanks. It is precisely between these two sandbanks that the current is strongest because the water in a rip current wants to return to the sea. When the tide is going out (it has been high tide, and it is becoming low tide), water flows away from the coast into the sea. At the sandbanks, the water cannot escape and is essentially "pushed" into the channel. What is treacherous about a rip current is that it initially appears to be a calm piece of water. But especially when you see that the sea around it is turbulent, that seemingly calm piece of water can suddenly be a rip current, according to a rescue brigade employee. You can then be pulled into the water at 15 km per hour (source: Trouw).

The first reaction…
The first reaction after ending up in a rip current is to immediately want to swim back to the beach. Because yes, that's where it's safe. Leon Muizer (27) from Heemskerk experienced it (was rescued by two surfers) and describes it as follows: "You can compare it to the current of a wild water ride in the swimming pool, but ten times stronger. You really cannot swim against it. In just a few minutes, your body is dragged along. As if you are a puppet."

What should you do?
Your instinct tells you to swim back, but if you try that, it requires so much energy that your chances of survival become significantly smaller. So you should do the following:

Try not to panic and let yourself be carried by the current into the sea
Attract the attention of bystanders/the rescue brigade
Swim around the sandbank once you have drifted out of the rip current (the width of a sandbank can vary from 15 to 200 meters)
Prevent getting caught in a rip current by going into the sea only up to knee height
Pay attention to demarcations of a section of the sea (rip current) and warning flags from the rescue brigade. A yellow flag means it is dangerous to swim, and a red flag advises against swimming
Be aware that not all parts of the Dutch coast are demarcated or have a coast guard and flags present. Therefore, pay close attention to the recognition signs of a rip current yourself