Riptides

[arcticat99]

here is a question from a non ocean dweller .i know riptides can be very dangerous for swimmers and surfers but how about for scuba divers .can a riptide be used as an easy way to get out to a near by reef or to dangerous even for that ?

 

[BoltSnap]

here is a question from a non ocean dweller .i know riptides can be very dangerous for swimmers and surfers but how about for scuba divers .can a riptide be used as an easy way to get out to a near by reef or to dangerous even for that ?

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.

 

[arcticat99]

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.

good to know i have never experienced one only going to the ocean once a year for a week and i never seen a topic brought up from a divers point of view .you see stories of swimmers been dragged out and surfers .but what you say makes sense it would be like the washing machine affect

 

[The Chairman]

Take the free ride. These currents abate with depth. Yes, I've used the and they don't go out very far. Hell, they can't!

How to ID such a current? Look for the dirty water going out.

 

[caruso]

I guess the takeaway from this thread is that if you know the dive site and you won't be blown over sharp rocks or coral reef then go for it. I suggest filing a dive plan with at least one land dweller and have a redundant signaling device. Wouldn't be a bad idea to bring your will up to date.

 

[BoltSnap]

I guess the takeaway from this thread is that if you know the dive site and you won't be blown over sharp rocks or coral reef then go for it. I suggest filing a dive plan with at least one land dweller and have a redundant signaling device. Wouldn't be a bad idea to bring your will up to date.

And make sure that your DAN insurance is in effect

 

[arcticat99]

I just had a horrible thought. You and me go diving together, and there's a bad riptide that drags us out to sea and while we wait for rescue, you pass the time by telling jokes.

im here all day all joking aside like i said never seen or experienced one and was just curious if uyou could ride one out safely underwater

 

[The Chairman]

I guess the takeaway from this thread

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.

Learn a bit about transient currents and you don't have to be so fearful. Rip tides are caused by wind and waves that come straight in. The water builds up and must go somewhere, so it takes the path of least resistance. You'll see turgid ugly water as it takes out sand and soil into the ocean. It is most intense close to shore and loses its power as it moves ocean ward. If the wind (and waves) hit the shore at an angle, a long shore current is created instead and always in the direction of the wind. Far rarer and impossible to see is an undercurrent. That's when the returning water subverts underneath. With any transient current, you escape it by swimming at right angles to it. This should have been covered in your OW class. No, it wasn't in mine, but it is in all the classes I teach.

 

[Wookie]

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

 

[arcticat99]

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.

Learn a bit about transient currents and you don't have to be so fearful. Rip tides are caused by wind and waves that come straight in. The water builds up and must go somewhere, so it takes the path of least resistance. You'll see turgid ugly water as it takes out sand and soil into the ocean. It is most intense close to shore and loses its power as it moves ocean ward. If the wind (and waves) hit the shore at an angle, a long shore current is created instead and always in the direction of the wind. Far rarer and impossible to see is an undercurrent. That's when the returning water subverts underneath. With any transient current, you escape it by swimming at right angles to it. This should have been covered in your OW class. No, it wasn't in mine, but it is in all the classes I teach.

yes we did briefly talk about what you said and the affects but more a less riptide bad stay away and how to recognize but no such thing in a lake