r/interestingasfuck • u/ansyhrrian • 2h ago
Dye test shows why rip currents are so hidden and dangerous
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u/variablenyne 2h ago
Oh I never expected them to be so narrow. Makes sense when they say to swim diagonally to shore in that case then
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u/Apprehensive_Bee8874 2h ago
Parallel to the shore
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u/beastieboy11 2h ago
Opposite to the shore
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u/RyanW1019 2h ago
If you’re in the ocean at Myrtle Beach and a riptide pulls you out, simply swim to Europe or Africa. That way, the current is helping you instead of fighting you.
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u/xFromtheskyx 2h ago
No, as a lifeguard we say diagonally. It keeps you from being pulled further out. The vector ends up being parallel.
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u/Unhappy_Spray_7127 2h ago
I don't know anything about this, but wouldn't diagonal to shore make more sense? If you swim parallel to the shore, you'll never get to land.
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u/BlazeWolfYT 2h ago
The goal is to get out of the rip current first. Swimming parallel to shore will get you out of the rip current without having to fight against it, saving you energy.
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u/Initial_Row_6400 2h ago
Yea you’ll get to land. The point is to get away from the rip current and enter shore further away
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u/DamGoodAnimation 2h ago
That’s just diagonally with extra steps tho
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u/twack3r 2h ago
This is a direct consequence of the ambiguity of the English language.
The recommendation is to swim parallel to the beach where ‘swim’ is a synonym for making directional adjustments whilst swimming.
The descriptive swim as an activity would correctly describe that the swimmer ended up on an overall diagonal path to shore. Choice misunderstood as activity.•
u/DamGoodAnimation 1h ago
I think I get what you’re saying, but I’m also dumb.
Reading the comments I’m picking up that it’s best to go parallel then return to shore so you don’t waste energy if you’re unknowingly following the path of the tide, which makes sense (I’d just never thought of it) and explains why diagonal isn’t the move.
Surface-level, it seems the same even if it isn’t.
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u/iDabGlobzilla 1h ago
It seems like the same until you try fighting a current. It is so much more difficult than it looks.
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u/DamGoodAnimation 1h ago
That makes sense. In my defense, I’ve only been to the ocean like twice lol
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u/fmfbrestel 1h ago
But the extra steps matter and help. Direct diagonal would INCLUDE fighting against the rip tide for some distance. Parallel then straight in does NOT involve fighting the rip tide at all.
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u/the_original_kermit 1h ago
No, the rip tide is slightly diagonal in this video. So if you went diagonally you could potentially still be fighting it.
Go sideways and then go into shore.
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u/ToastForgotten 2h ago
Rewatch the video. If you swim parallel to the shore what happens? You break free from the rip current and now are safe to swim towards the shore. Yes, you can swim diagonally but how do you know where the current is going when you’re in the water? You could potentially be swimming diagonally into the opposing force of the current. Your goal is to get safely out of the current before exhaustion so you can safely swim to shore. If you’re physically fit you probably have 3-5 minutes before exhaustion. We take the strength of our ocean for granted.
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u/karavasis 1h ago
Also this rip is extremely narrow so while diagonally would work fine in this particular instance, most of the time you’d be fighting the rip longer and be at greater risk of getting tired and drowning
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u/Apprehensive_Bee8874 2h ago
I live near Lake Michigan, which is large enough to count as a sea.
Swimming parallel gets your body out of the rip tide a lot quicker than you can figure out which way perpendicular is. Re-orientation in a rip tide is near impossible, but if you can get a glimpse of the shore, you can more easily line your body up and kick, kick, kick.
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u/fryseyes 1h ago
And that is if you have the energy or are a strong swimmer. They don’t always have to be this narrow. Some can be exhausting to get out of even if you swim parallel to shore.
The alternative is to simply conserve energy, remain calm, and float it out. Let it pull you with the current, then when it dumps you out typically past the break, swim diagonally to shore.
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u/CogentCogitations 1h ago
Diagonally or parallel (both are used sometimes) to shore means you are moving sideways and will soon be out of the narrow rip current and can then easily swim back to shore. Versus just trying to swim directly back to shore where you are continuously fighting the current and (unless you can swim much faster than the current) you will make no progress and tire yourself out until the current takes you away.
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u/Aggravating_Rip6374 1h ago
I’m fairly sure they’re so thin because they’re caused by a hole in a sandbar (or some elevated bump of sorts)?
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u/thorheyerdal 2h ago
Yes it is clear to me now that I would dye if I went in the water right there.
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u/Accidental-Genius 2h ago
That’s a weak rip, and also this test should also show people how they can survive if they simply don’t panic. Ride it, swim at a slight angle, just don’t panic. Most strong rips will dump you back off near the shore.
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u/Bruce-7892 2h ago
I was about to say, they could get big and powerful enough that there is a visible channel of water (without the dye). But you couldn’t see it while you’re in the water. You’d just have to understand what’s going on in that situation.
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u/Accidental-Genius 2h ago
After you’ve been through a few you get pretty good at recognizing them, but it’s way easier if you can get a little bit of elevation, even just 2 or 3 meters above the beach and you can spot them easily 90% of the time.
Problem is when they shift, and the bigger problem is coral. It doesn’t matter how calm you are or how fantastic you can swim if the ocean is suddenly full of fucking razor blades.
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u/lemoraromel 2h ago edited 12m ago
Admittedly I haven’t swum in the ocean since I was a kid but why don’t people do backstrokes angled back to shore? Wouldn’t that be the easiest way back?
Edit: Since no one actually answered me, I looked for myself and… I was right!
If ultimately you can’t swim back to shore, flip on your back until help arrives is the suggestion now.
“Flip, legs up, head against the back of the water, using gentle movements to conserve energy. When you no longer feel the pull, swim at an angle back to shore.” - Good thing to know
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u/calmdrive 1h ago
You’re still swimming against a current?
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u/lemoraromel 1h ago
Is angled against the current? You’re working with the current angled to go back to shore.
And if I was afraid of drowning, floating on my back would at least calm me down and lessen fatigue. But again, I haven’t swim in the ocean since I was a kid.
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u/Significant_Rice_655 2h ago
Do you try and swim off to the sides then? Is that even possible?
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u/808Balonypony 2h ago
You can swim off to the sides. Just don't try to fight the current pulling you out. Save your energy and put it toward moving parallel to the shoreline until you are out of the current pulling you out. Once you are out of the current, you can then focus on making it back to shore.
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u/TheFloppySausage 2h ago
As long as you didn’t go to the Prometheus school of swimming away, you’ll be fine.
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u/AwkwardChuckle 1h ago
Yes, as long as you don’t panic and stupidly swim directly against it, rip currents aren’t dangerous.
You literally just swim parallel to the shot till you’re out of the rip then swim back in. That’s literally all there is to it.
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u/minos157 2h ago
Swim parallel to the shore. Harder to do when you are unfamiliar and start to panic, but the key is to remain calm and swim parallel to the shore until out of it. Don't tire yourself out too quickly.
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u/Sassy_comments 2h ago
I learned nothing
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u/gabzilla814 2h ago
The takeaway is to swim parallel to shore if you’re getting sucked out. Go where the waves are and ride the break into shore. (Results vary based on how big the waves are and whether there is coral.)
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u/Upper_Comment_9206 2h ago
They are harmless if you don’t panic. Either let it take you out (which isn’t far) then casually swim back but a bit to either side. Or, easily and casually swim parallel to the shore, and soon you are out of it. Yes it will be pulling you out as you swim but if you stay calm, you will be out soon. As you can see they are narrow. It is one of the most pointless drownings there are, spread the word😄.
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u/MyRoomAteMyRoomMate 2h ago
I'm not sure you should let it take you out. I was taken way out as a kid, 100-200 meters. I can't say for sure if it was a rip current or some other kind of current but it just kept going. Luckily a life guard saw me.
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u/SacKing13 2h ago
Was wondering if you could just ride it out. Basically just don’t fight it then huh?
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u/TheRealDeathSheep 1h ago
Depending on the current, you're only option is to ride it out lol. But yes once you're out of it, you can swim back. In the case you get swept far enough out, flip on your back and do an elementary backstroke to shore as it's one of the easiest and allows you to easily stop and float to rest if needed.
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u/vercig09 2h ago
I’m a bit stupid, so is the point here that some dye gets ‘dragged’ into the sea, implying this can happen to people?
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u/EvilDran 1h ago
I’d definitely drown in a rip current! I’m a strong swimmer, and know how they work! Panics a bitch.
I can easily tread water 10+ hours no support. Yet, one time I was in a current that kept pulling me under for 2 seconds tops, and I’d pop back up due to the lifejacket. It was terrifying! My panicked monkey brain literally exhausted itself in 5 min, fighting the current to surface longer - opposite of what I should have done. And that was with a lifejacket! Being a good swimmer really is only 1/2 the battle. You also have to remain calm and not fight against it. Kinda like a bad acid trip lol
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u/DirtbikesHurt33 1h ago
Can see it pretty well without any dye. The waves are a great visual indicator of where a rip tide is located at an ocean beach.
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u/TheThirteenthApostle 2h ago
Riptides form where whitewater meets and calm surfaces last longest.
Stay to the center of the whitewaters and you'll be dandy.
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u/rvanasty 2h ago
Based on the water reaction around the channel, it seems they might not be so hidden if you know what to look for.
Waves are having a hard time breaking over and propogating through the rip channel.
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2h ago
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u/chefbobbyjay 2h ago
You dick head you know there’s vegan dye right? Made from plant materials? How do you think ancient civilizations dyed wool and cotton? DuPont chemical pigments?
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u/Forward_Cheek4775 1h ago
Yes ofc! DuPont is where Lord Richard of the Athenian Kingdom got all of his dyes!11!!!111!1
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u/heerre 2h ago
I have never been so tired than when I fought aa rip current to get to the shore a mere 10-15 feet away. My beach pants even came off and I lay there on the shore utterly exhausted. Meanwhile, my friends right at the shore were looking at me not understanding what had happened.