Rip Current Survival Principles: Towards Consistency

• Published in: Journal of coastal research 2014-12, Vol.72 (sp1), p.85-92
• Main Authors: Bradstreet, Anthony J, Brander, Robert W, McCarroll, Jak R, Brighton, Barbara, Howes, Dale Dominey, Drozdzewski, Danielle, Sherker, Shauna, Turner, Ian, Roberts, Amelia, MacMahan, Jamie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic conferences; Beaches; communication; Drowning; drowning prevention; Face to face communication; injury prevention; key messages; Natural hazards; Ocean currents; principles; public education; Public safety; Rip currents; RIP FORCASTING AND RESPONSE; Sandbars; Serenity; social marketing; survival methods; Swimming
• ISSN: 0749-0208; 1551-5036; 1551-5036
• DOI: 10.2112/SI72-016.1

Bradstreet, A.J.; Brander, R.W.; McCarroll, J.R.; Brighton, B.; Dominey, H.D.; Drozdzewski, D.; Sherker, S.; Turner, I.; Roberts, A., and MacMahan, J., 2014. Rip current survival principles: Towards consistency. Advances in applied rip current research over the past 10 years have dramatically increased our collective understanding of the hazard posed to communities by rip currents. Repeated drifter, dye, swimmer, in situ instrumentation, and model experimentation has demonstrated the highly variable nature of rip currents, which has significant implications for long standing survival strategies. Analysis of prevalent rip current survival advice revealed that under variable rip current conditions, the advice may not prove effective in-situ, resulting in individual adopting alternative behaviours, which may or may not have been endorsed or promoted by safety authorities. This paper discusses evidence supporting key principles prominent in the discourse between public safety practitioners and rip current researchers, and presents how these principles relate to each other in practice. The principles are set into two categories: avoidance and survival. They have been developed to support consistent engagement, education and communication strategies for community resilience and further reduce the burden of rip current related drowning globally.