Even in nice weather conditions, rip currents can flow offshore through these channels very quickly, sometimes at speeds of over 2 m (2.2 yards) a second, which is as fast as some Olympic swimmers! This means that even gentle rip currents can take swimmers of all abilities a long way offshore. A rip current can easily move someone the length of a football field in just 1 min. What makes these currents dangerous is that you do not feel anything, you are just going with the flow. It is only when you realize that you are suddenly a long way from the safety of the beach that things get scary, and that is when most people start to panic. When people panic, they often try to swim back to the beach against the current and, in doing that, there is a risk they will use up all their energy.

License information: nan
MPAA: G
Go to source: https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2019.00033