Rip Current Safety
The Navarre Beach Fire Department would like to stress the importance of water safety while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. The links to the left are information provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These links stress the importance of water safety and also provide basic information on some situations you may encounter while in the Gulf of Mexico. If you are not a strong swimmer or are unfamiliar with the Gulf, please swim near a lifeguard.
If caught in a rip current:
- Remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
- Never fight against the current.
- Think of it like a treadmill that cannot be turned off, which you need to step to the side of.
- Swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline. When out of the current, swim at an angle--away from the current--towards shore.
- If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards shore.
- If you are still
unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by
waving your arm and yelling for help.
If you see someone in trouble, don't become a victim too:
- Get help from a lifeguard.
- If a lifeguard is not available, have someone call 9-1-1.
- Throw the rip current victim something that floats--a lifejacket, a cooler, an inflatable ball.
- Yell instructions on how to escape.
- Remember, many people drown while trying to save someone else from a rip current.