When you notice a stretch of shoreline where the surf seems oddly calm—where waves break everywhere except for one dark, glassy channel—steer clear: that tranquil-looking patch is often a rip current, a powerful, narrow flow of water racing away from shore. Though the surface may appear deceptively still, rip currents can drag even the strongest swimmer into deeper water within seconds.
Rip currents form when waves pile up water between sandbars or near piers and jetties. As the water finds a path back to sea, it funnels through the lowest spot, carving a swift channel that often appears darker and smoother than the surrounding surf. These channels lack the whitecaps and foam of breaking waves, and their depth can be surprisingly greater, pulling sand and debris into a trough that betrays their presence.
