NOAA and the National
Park Service Team Up to Educate Beachgoers on How to Break the
Grip of the Rip
June
1, 2007
With the
summer vacation season here, NOAA and the National Park Service
are alerting beachgoers to the threat of rip currents and how
to escape their strong and potentially fatal grip. It is the
focus of NOAA's national Rip Current Awareness Week, June 3-9,
2007.
Rip currents
are narrow channels of fast-moving water that pull swimmers
away from the shore. Panicked swimmers fail trying to counter
the current by swimming straight back to shore — putting
themselves at risk of drowning because of fatigue. Rip currents
account for more than 80 percent of rescues performed by lifeguards,
totaling tens of thousands of people in the U.S. every year.
An estimated 100 people are killed by rip currents annually.
"Before
going into the water, check the rip current forecast, swim on
guarded beaches and know how to escape a rip current's grip,"
said Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), director
of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “Doing so may
just save your life.”
Rip currents
are prevalent along the East, Gulf, and West coasts in addition
to the Great Lakes. Rip current education is critical to every
swimmer and especially those who visit the beach infrequently
and may be unfamiliar with this leading swimming hazard.
NOAA National
Weather Service forecast offices that serve coastal areas issue
Surf Zone Forecasts with rip current outlooks when rip currents
are a threat. These are available online, through the media
and are broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.
“Everyone
should learn how to identify rip currents and take the time
to assess the surf conditions before diving in,” advises
Tom Herrington, Ph.D, director of the Stevens – New Jersey
Sea Grant Cooperative Extension. “If caught in a rip current,
don’t fight it! Swim parallel to the shore and back to
land at an angle.” Sea Grant is NOAA's primary university-based
program, located in each coastal state, to promote better understanding,
conservation and use of America's coastal resources.
Moving
at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move
faster than an Olympic swimmer and can easily overpower a victim.
Ian Crocker, four-time Olympic medalist for the United States
Swim Team, holds the men's world record for completing the 100
meter butterfly in 50.40 seconds—a pace of nearly six
feet per second. "A rip current is one competitor all swimmers
should avoid challenging," said Crocker, who joins NOAA
and the NPS in educating the public on rip currents through
his participation in public service announcements.
“Every
year, more than 75 million visitors come to swim, fish, snorkel,
scuba dive, boat and enjoy the wildlife and majestic scenery
in the coastal areas of our National Park System. The National
Park Service has had a long partnership with NOAA and its National
Weather Service to enhance our ability to provide visitors with
the latest information on water safety,” said Mary Bomar,
director of the National Park Service. “We are thrilled
to partner with NOAA for this important awareness campaign to
bring scientific-based information to the public about the dangers
of rips currents and safety measures that will save lives in
waterways throughout our parks.”
The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S.
Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and
service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey
of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of
the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries
in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted
in NOAA.
NOAA is
dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety
through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related
events and information service delivery for transportation,
and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal
and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation
System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal
partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission
to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated
as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
