Re: Buddy of mine get caught in rip tide lost His heater and scoop he's
Glad the fellow made it out of the water ok!
Chest deep, in surf, with natural buoyancy is just a wave away from swimming.
The fellow was too deep in the water to detect for the conditions.
Norm Garnuche, the Golden Oldie, was well known for going deep, but I doubt he did it in big waves or at a beach with a steep dropoff. I've read his stuff, and he stayed out of the water when it was rough.
Wave action will definitely suck you away on a beach with a steep dropoff, and there's always that 7th wave in a set that's a bigger one, and always a possibility of a rogue wave passing by that was generated somewhere for some unknown reason. THAT is a treacherous thing you can't really look out for if intent on detecting.
We have some of the safest beaches in the world, hereabouts, and some of the most treacherous.
A riptide is not much problem if you are healthy, and a strong, confident swimmer.
It will only affect you if you are perhaps waist deep, or better, depending on the dropoff, once again.
They will such you out a distance, then send you down the beach a ways, where you then be able to swim back to shore.
People drowned by them are the ones who panic, and try to fight the current.
It might be possible, but you would have to be tip-top!
Over the years I've seen lots of kids goof off in the rip tides...
Young bucks that were good swimmers.
They did it in groups of 3 or 4 guys, generally.
Usually they ended up 1/8 to 1/4 mile down the beach when they were able to get back up on the dry.
If appropriate caution fails you, jettison the supercargo and don't panic. Conserve your energy.
You'll most likely be swimming for 45min to an hour, or so.
Me?
I swim like a rock.
Been saved by many of my oldest friends way back when...
Jumping into water is among the biggest thrills in my life!
I avoid it!
Hookah is fabulous! You got air!
Best,
rmptr
