Blog: Five Ways to Survive a Riptide

Riptides can be fatal and are the reason for 80 percent of lifeguard rescues, according to Meridian Health's blog on Patch.

Robert Sweeney, D.O. and chair of Emergency Medicine at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, explains that 

Riptides occur when water moves away from the beach in a very small but forceful channel, the blog explains. They are often visible from the beach by their patter or flow of water. 

Here are five tips to survive a riptide:

1. Never swim alone and never swim when a lifeguard is not on duty.
2. Don't panic. 
3. Let the riptide pull you initially. You will likely not be taken further than the jetty.
4. Swim parallel to the beach to remove yourself from the channel of water being forced away from the shore.
5. Signal for help by waving your arms or yelling.