Riptides

[The Chairman]

but no such thing in a lake

Riptides only occur if there are waves. The bigger the waves, the bigger the riptide. So no, there are probably no significant rip tides in a lake.

​

 

[caruso]

is that fear is alive, well and able to make normally logical people cower needlessly over a benign natural phenomenon. Like sharks, we fear what we don't understand.

 

[g1138]

Technically yes, practically not much of an advantage gained. It depends on the site and conditions for the day. At my old local site Breakwater - Monterey, California, I took advantage of one once, but it was spontaneous and right place right time. We don't really go searching for a free ride out to help with the surface swim. Waste of time and energy.

Some sites they're very consistent and on-going. Other sites it's periodic and seemly random. Unless you're scanning the wave patterns you probably won't notice the actual pattern.

You can use it to hitch a ride but it can drag you into and over underwater obstacles like rocks. For shore entries it's safe to enter out of the rip then swim towards it, but realistically at that point you're not really gaining much of a free ride since you're having to swim towards the rip afterwards.

If the rip has a lot of speed then the perimeter waves creating the rip are probably pretty massive and you'd have to duck dive under them. If not then you're probably getting pulled out pretty slow that you might as well swim it.

At the same site: Breakwater I did get caught in one on the exit. I was just about at the point where I stop swimming and stand up and a rogue wave combined with the usual longshore waves created a spontaneous rip and I was sucked from the exit about 50ft back. My buddy on the other hand was slightly ahead of me and ended up beached belly down on the sand; fish out of water. That was a good laugh!

 

[dmaziuk]

Riptides occur in very shallow water along the beach. Folks don't often dive those places. YMMV

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever documented one of those going back over the reef wall, and down? I guess the reef has to be close to shore, like on Bonaire, and you need high surf.

 

[TMHeimer]

No, I'd stay the heck away from any such current. It isn't a free ride to a dive site. It can, and usually is, a very dangerous condition that will lead you where you don't want to be. It can push you over a reef/rocks/etc. and cause great damage to you and/or your equipment. You can't predict its power or direction. Just stay away from it. BTW, the water in a riptide is usually dirty and full of sand and crap.

I agree. I think I was stuck in one once. I opted to fight it while maneuvering to the jagged rock jetty to exit (no fun). Wasn't sure if it was a rip current and didn't want to swim out of it and away from that jetty. Either way, it's a bit of the unknown I'd stay clear of. I'd just swim out to where I wanted to dive (surface or UW).

 

[g1138]

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever documented one of those going back over the reef wall, and down? I guess the reef has to be close to shore, like on Bonaire, and you need high surf.

A Downcurrent. Yes there's a few videos on youtube.
This made the rounds infamously in 2014 on Scubaboard. Good turnout at the end but it'll get your heart throbbing watching it.

The procedure is to swim perpendicular away from the wall to get out of the current. The current will hug and swing down with the wall; so if you swim far away you'll break from it. It probably will cause you to get into a no-reference ascent however.
The alternative is to cling and climb the wall, but some downcurrents can be strong enough to slow your progress. In addition the lifeforms can be very stingy.

 

[Snoweman]

My dive buddy and I got caught in a strange current on our first dive in St Lucia. For about five minutes we were being carried away from shore and down. It wasn't a wall, like you would see in Cozumel, though. It was a pretty gradual slope.

I kept adding air to my BCD (in spurts) and wasn't going up. Once we got out of the current, I started to shoot up and had to do a quick dump. Neither of us had experienced this before. My buddy told me he was getting a little freaked out after we we're done diving.

 

[BoltSnap]

(I can't believe that somebody is minimizing the effects and dangers of rip currents and telling people that it is OK to dive with a rip current)

 

[g1138]

(I can't believe that somebody is minimizing the effects and dangers of rip currents and telling people that it is OK to dive with a rip current)

A rip current is a force current created by 2 waves. It pulls people out from shore and just past the wave break zone. Just past, the wave break zone. How many beaches have break zones beyond visual range of shore?
Swimmers die because they try to fight against the current then drown due to exhaustion. There is no downward pulling force with rip currents. They can be very mellow to very forceful. You may be able to power through some with fins and some you can't. Rip currents are not always OMG I'm being pulled at 10knots through the water out to sea.

And undertow is a force current that flows under a shore-coming wave in the reverse (out from shore). They come in surges with the waves. Contrary to popular belief it does not pull you underwater. It is not a downward pulling force. But it can sweep a person's feet out from under them and then they tumble on the shore-coming top wave).
Surfers can utilize this when duck diving under the wave to go away from shore.

These are commonly confused with rip currents. These are not Downcurrents which occur on steep walls underwater.


What are you sensing that some of us are not sensing?

 

[Snoweman]

(I can't believe that somebody is minimizing the effects and dangers of rip currents and telling people that it is OK to dive with a rip current)

Post this in Coz, and Dave will tell you that a downwelling can be a fun ride, as long as you are diving air.