What to do if your child is caught in a riptide

How will you know you're in one?

You'll find yourself being pulled away from the shore and out to sea. You won't be pulled under but you might be knocked off your feet.

So what should you do if you or your child is caught in a riptide?

1. Don't panic. The most important thing is for your child not to panic. Easier said than done of course. If you're together with your child, it's vital you stay calm yourself and keep your child as calm as possible.
2. If in shallow water, try to grip onto the sea floor. If your child is in relatively shallow water, the best thing is for them to grip on to the sea floor with their feet, while waiting for help. If they can, they should wade to the left or right. They shouldn't swim if they can firmly stand on the sea floor.
3. Call or signal for help. Call out or wave to attract attention, but don't thrash or do it with too much energy - you don't want to exhaust yourself. Before your child goes in the sea, remind them to signal if they feel themselves being pulled out to sea.
4. DON'T try to swim against the riptide back to shore. If your child is pulled away from the shore, it's vital that they don't try to swim back to shore against the riptide. This is the most dangerous mistake that many swimmers make as even the strongest swimmers can't swim against a riptide. Your child (and you, if you're with them) will need to conserve as much energy as possible.
5. DO swim parallel to the beach. So instead of trying to swim back in, the solution is to swim parallel to the shore. The strong riptide is actually quite narrow and by swimming parallel, your child will gradually escape the current of the rip. If you're feeling exhausted, just keep afloat or try to tread water. The riptide stream will weaken, and you'll be able to start swimming either left or right of it.
6. Let the waves bring you back to the shore. Once you and your child are no longer in the grip of the rip stream, use the waves as much as you can to wash you back to the shore.

How to avoid riptides

The most important thing is to listen to the experts. Head to a beach where there are lifeguards, and always follow the flag advice: be cautious about swimming when there's a yellow flag, and don't swim at all – or even paddle – on when there's a red flag.

Remember that a calm sea doesn't necessarily mean a safe sea. Lifeguards are looking out for strong currents and riptides as well as rough seas.

Riptides sometimes appear as 'calm breaks' in the waves - a flat calm area where the waves don't break – see our pic above. They may also look a slightly different colour - but you're only likely to see that from a high vantage point.

The key is to follow the lifeguards' instructions and to use common sense. Go into the water with your children and, if you find an area where you feel a strong pull into the sea, make sure you come out and find a safer place to swim or paddle.

How worried should we be?

It’s worth stressing to your child that a riptide doesn't need to be dangerous if you know what to look for and what to do. You may just be pulled away from the shore for a little while. The key is to stay afloat, allowing help to come.

Remind your child that swimming in the sea is different to swimming in a pool – and always watch them carefully.

You might find it helpful to sit with your child and watch this US-made lifeguard video, below, about how to cope with a riptide...

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