Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning (A Must Read)

D.C. Man Remains Missing After Being Caught In Ocean City Riptide - DCist (http://dcist.com/2010/08/dc_man_remains_missing_after_being.php)

Hurricane Riptides Roil Atlantic Coast: 1 Dead, 1 Missing (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/30/hurricane-earl-danielle-2010-atlantic_n_699836.html)

i was at OC the past 4 days, stayed at 30th st. my lady cannot swim all that well and is pretty much terrified of swimming.

but she was going in the water, up to the breakers and she was duck diving waves and what not the first couple days we were there.

so a few days ago, after drinkin all day, we decide to hop in the water. i get her to grab onto my shoulders and i carry/swim her out past the breakers. i can barely stand. shes holding onto my shoulders. i feel a powerful flow of energy pulling us out into the ocean. ive never felt that powerful of a pull before. this was probably 4-5pm ish. my alarm went off, i knew we were getting sucked out with her holding on like dead weight. so i hold her up and carried/swam her back to shallow ground the best i could. luckily a wave came through and i was able to ride it in alil bit.

in san diego i used to go swimming way out past the waves, go sling fishing, lobster diving so i feel like i have a good sense in the ocean, ive been in many gnarly situations before, id go swimming in 10 foot plus waves etc but man that rip tide was vicious.

the next day i hear that 4 people got sucked out right where we were at 30th street and they couldnt find one person. i dont know how we missed it, we were right there at about the same time. maybe we missed it by 30 mins tops.

when i was looking for an article on it i found some more articles about another guy dying in OC about the same time as well.

please dont go out past the breakers or when the lifeguards take off duty right now.

i dont know how people can die, if you get sucked out just stay afloat, swim sideways to teh shore and someone will save you but then i read about these young guys dying and im wondering whether the rip tide sucks you under as well as down? i dont see how an able bodied 20 something male cant stay afloat when his life depends on it? does rip tide suck you under?

I was in nags head this past weekend and the rip tide running down the beach was as strong as I can remember. By our cottage we have a drop off that about 5' deep then about 20' out there is a sand bar which at low tied is about knee deep. I would float in the drop off and drift about two blocks in just a few minutes. I never went out very far because of the rip current. I saw a few people getting sucked out and down the beach but when they hit the sand bar they could stand up.

My experience with rip tides -

First, I am a pretty strong swimmer, have had lifeguard training (ages ago) and, while respectful of the ocean, have a comfort level with my ability to handle ocean swimming.

About 5 years ago, my wife and I are in Nagshead walking on the beach (no life guards). I see a guy waving his arms about a 100 feet out from shore (just past the breakers) and a woman pointing to him from shore. Myself and two other guys head out into the water. In about three strokes, we have caught up to the guy - HUGE riptide carrying us out to him. His wife/gf was in a little closer and one of the guys stayed with her while me and the last guy went on. We catch up to him and he is pretty calm sitting on his bogey board. Me and Other Guy start to swim cross wise to the current towing this guy on his board and just watch the beach moving away from us. Eventually, a beach patrol guy came out and gave us a hand (he had swim fins). It took us about an hour but we got the guy in.

The pull of the current out was incredible and fast. Actually, it was kind of fun (I told my wife that and she thought I was crazy. Not being a strong swimmer and frightened of the water, she was terrified I wasn't coming back).

Why so long if he had a board? B/c he had no legs. No shit. Here is a guy w/ no legs swimming in the ocean on day of rip tide warnings. Nice enough guy. Dumb as a box of rocks.

If you are a competent swimmer and !!don't panic!! a rip tide is not going to kill you.

... i dont know how people can die, if you get sucked out just stay afloat, swim sideways to teh shore and someone will save you but then i read about these young guys dying and im wondering whether the rip tide sucks you under as well as down? i dont see how an able bodied 20 something male cant stay afloat when his life depends on it? does rip tide suck you under?

Most likely they don't know what to do in rips and try to fight it by swimming directly to shore. They may not be strong swimmers or, conversely, believe they are strong enough to swim through the current. Once they exhaust themselves, they may begin to panic.

Like the article at the top shows, it's the panicky swimmer that drowns. A rip will kill you if you're exhausted and panicked.

I have been caught in rip tides before, most times I have just gone limp and let it drag me out. I can remember one where I felt like I was in true danger put end up getting spit out.

If they are really strong they will throw you around like a rag doll.

I remember seeing this at the beach this past summer. Honestly if you get in a strong enough one it will decide when you leave it or not.

http://www.plettsurf.org.za/Assets/Image/page/rip-current-1.jpg

I'm reminded of the wise old saying:

How do you save a man from drowning?

Take your foot off his head.

Or how about this one? (Didn't think we could make this political, eh?)

"So Obama, Pelosi and Reid are in a row boat, and it springs a leak and starts to sink. Who gets saved?"

Answer: "The American people."
I've never been so proud of you.




Good read.

My experience with rip tides -

First, I am a pretty strong swimmer, have had lifeguard training (ages ago) and, while respectful of the ocean, have a comfort level with my ability to handle ocean swimming.

About 5 years ago, my wife and I are in Nagshead walking on the beach (no life guards). I see a guy waving his arms about a 100 feet out from shore (just past the breakers) and a woman pointing to him from shore. Myself and two other guys head out into the water. In about three strokes, we have caught up to the guy - HUGE riptide carrying us out to him. His wife/gf was in a little closer and one of the guys stayed with her while me and the last guy went on. We catch up to him and he is pretty calm sitting on his bogey board. Me and Other Guy start to swim cross wise to the current towing this guy on his board and just watch the beach moving away from us. Eventually, a beach patrol guy came out and gave us a hand (he had swim fins). It took us about an hour but we got the guy in.

The pull of the current out was incredible and fast. Actually, it was kind of fun (I told my wife that and she thought I was crazy. Not being a strong swimmer and frightened of the water, she was terrified I wasn't coming back).

Why so long if he had a board? B/c he had no legs. No shit. Here is a guy w/ no legs swimming in the ocean on day of rip tide warnings. Nice enough guy. Dumb as a box of rocks.

If you are a competent swimmer and !!don't panic!! a rip tide is not going to kill you.

I'm like you and not too scared of the ocean but I do respect it and know when not to play with mother nature. When I surfed allot we would look for the rip currents and go out there because they would help pull you out. I have surfed on some days that was the only way to get out.