Rip Current Awareness Week

June 5-11 is Rip Current Awareness Week. Rip currents take lives every year, in many cases unnecessarily. There are a few simple rules to remember if you are caught in a rip current:

- Don't panic!
- Rip currents occur in very narrow areas where the shoreline surf is returning to the sea. If you can tread water, allow yourself to be pulled away from shore. The current will dissipate and you can return to shore.
- if you can swim, move parallel to shore and you will quickly leave the rip current channel. DO NOT try to swim against a rip current. You will tire quickly; most rip current drownings occur from swimmers trying to swim against the current.

The National Weather Service has an excellent resource page on rip currents you can find here.

Stay safe out there!