Offshore currents are a common phenomenon at beaches. This is the main cause of fatal accidents for tourists when going to the beach.
Offshore current is a strong current that flows from the shore towards the sea. The waves will hit and bring the sea water to the shore, but when the sea water is continuously brought to the shore, they gather into a current that goes back to the sea. This sea current from the shore to the sea is called the rip (or rip current) . Offshore currents can pull people away from the shore at a speed greater than an Olympic athlete – in 1 minute can suddenly sweep away about 100m.
The cause of this current is because the waves, when hitting the shore, cause the water to turn to the sides, creating a current that moves along the shore until it finds an outlet to flow back out to sea.
Although relatively narrow, offshore currents can recede very quickly, be elusive, and move to different locations in nearshore waters.
Because of the strong currents on the water, it tends to “submerge” the waves, making people think that this is a calm sea and attracts many people to swim.
Those who are well versed in it say that whirlpools are often hidden deep below where the water is calm and dark blue.
A whirlpool often looks like a safe place for swimmers. Because there are no big waves, many people are often not alert.
Most people don’t know how to recognize where there is a high chance of offshore currents ( eddy currents) or don’t know what to do when caught in this dangerous situation. Knowledgeable people say that whirlpools are often hidden deep below where the water is calm and dark blue.
This backflow can be stable throughout the month/year. However, they can also continuously change every few hours. On some beaches, this reverse current does not go to the sea but runs along the shore.
Before entering the sea, you should spend about 5-10 minutes to identify the offshore current thanks to the following characteristics:
In a nutshell, the area with waves is a safe water area, while the calm area is a dangerous area .
In fact, we can perceive this reverse flow with the naked eye
In fact, offshore currents have long been considered as one of the typical causes of drowning while bathing. It is likened to a strong current, pulling everything that falls into it straight out into the middle of the ocean.
It is estimated that the average speed of the flow is about 0.5 to 1 meter/second, when strong it can be up to 2.5 meters/second. Therefore, it is difficult for even adults to control the situation when falling into the offshore current, and it is especially dangerous for young children.
When caught in a whirlpool, let yourself drift with the current and signal for help.
When caught in a death vortex, try to do the following:
Introduction video about rip current and how to avoid it: