Re-Examining Rip Currents
- Share via
Thank you for the educational article regarding rip currents. Unfortunately, the article makes a serious semantic error which professional lifeguards have been trying to correct for years.
The term “riptide,” while commonly misused, is a misnomer. Interestingly, the lifeguards quoted in the article correctly use the term “rip current,” but your reporter seems to fall back on a preconceived lexicon.
To quote from the U.S. Lifesaving Assn. Manual of Open Water Lifesaving: “The term rip tide is a misnomer, and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the cause of rip currents. While tides can cause strong currents, particularly as water rushes through the entrance to a bay or estuary, tidal action has only a peripheral effect on currents along most water beaches. The main cause of rip currents is surf.”
B.C. BREWSTER
San Diego
B.C. Brewster is president of the California Surf Lifesaving Assn., president for the Americas of the International Life Saving Federation and lifeguard chief for San Diego.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
