I was caught in one in Mexico and was lucky enough for a lifeguard to save my life. Thank you to all lifeguards putting their life’s on the line!

Don’t underrate the sea. My teacher once told me a story. He was snorkeling off the coast of Hawaii with a bunch of other people. Him and his friend left the designated snorkeling location stupidly to see better fish. As he was looking down he said he saw massive rocks flying past him, he couldn’t figure out what they were until he looked up. When he looked up after about 20 mins outside the designated location he realized he was almost 3 football fields away from the boat that left him. He got caught in a riptide, the rocks that were flying by was the land he was looking at as he was being pulled away. The only reason he survived was some random guy spotted him somehow and rushed a jet ski over to save him. He was pulled 3 football fields away and didn’t even realize it, do not underestimate the power of the ocean, nature even.

I was caught in one in se fl and a man standing on shore yelled directions to me...to swim parallel to the shore and then try....keep swimming parallel and trying to swim in until you no longer feel that pull....thank God ..he saved my life. It's not always polite to mind your own business.

I was once caught up in a Riptide, and it's definitely terrifying. Your natural instinct is to panic; which is what I was doing. I was getting stucked out further and further, but then I remembered that I was told to swim parallel with the shore, and then let it bring you in. That was what saved my life.

This was THE best demonstration of 'what to do' that I've seen so far. The fact that you were both actually in the rip current swimming and discussing all the possible do's and don'ts helped tremendously. Thank you so much 🙏

I was 14 years old when a rip took a friend and I out to sea. I was a strong swimmer but my friend wasn’t and she freaked out and grabbed hold of me and pushed me under. I got away by diving under and away from her, and by the time I resurfaced, a lifeguard showed up with a surfboard and took my friend back to shore before returning for me. Truly grateful for their vigilance because that incident happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to call for help.

That stash is something else.

His moustache functions as a floating device for his nose.

I got stuck in one in Australia. Didn’t feel forceful or overpowering but I could not swim back to the shore for 5 minutes. Then all of a sudden I saw able to swim back to shore easily

When the lifeguard walks all the way out to where you are, that's when you realize you could have just walked back in.

Damn now i realised how many times i have been pulled without knowing it, good to know what to do if the Situation gets bad.

i was caught in one 40 yards from shore with my little brother and had to drag him through it with 10 ft waves drowning us along the way luckily i got us out, im 17 hes 9 and hes 100 pounds...scariest experience in my life

IMPORTANT NOTE: They tell you how to spot a rip current, but they don’t tell you how to survive it. I read from somewhere that if you get exhausted from trying to struggle and swim back to the shore, just flop over on your back and swim backwards. It’s much easier and will possibly guarantee your life!

Thank you for this video. It makes me sick to hear about drownings that could have been prevented. This will save lives! 1. Stay calm 2. Float to preserve energy 3. Swim along shoreline 4. Raise hand for rescue, ignoring your pride

I remember when I was 7 I went to a field trip to La Jolla cove and our teacher let us play in the beach for a bit. We were in a rocky area and I was the farthest away from the shore and all of a sudden a rip tide started pulling some of us towards the ocean and I managed to hang on to a rock but I could feel my tiny hands slipping and last thing I remember was my teachers boyfriend rescuing me. Thank God her boyfriend came with us because he was in the Navy at the time and managed to not only rescue me but all the other kids who were being dragged away. At the time I didn’t really think much of it but looking back I’m grateful for him, I couldn’t even imagine what would of happened if he wasn’t there that day.

When I was 12, my uncle and I got caught in a rip. We were boogie boarding so we could float on our boards. An off duty lifeguard came out to help us. He basically just kept us calm and let the rip take us out and guided us where to swim back.

Thoughts and prayers sent to Shad Gaspard's family, friends and loved ones.

This video or videos like this should be apart of every gym class in elementary thru high school. All over the country and especially in the Great Lakes and ocean refions

I was here right after shad gaspard went missing because of a rip current

I was pulled out a good distance aways from shore when I was a kid one time. No one in my family noticed. Luckily I noticed going against the current wasn't working so I swam sideways since I thought it might help. I was so exhausted and scared when I finally got back to shore. My family asked why I swam so far out...

I guess that's what it means when they say ''just go with the flow.'' My first thought, if I would've been in a rip current would've been to swim against it. Not it all makes more sense. Thank you for this video!

Thank you for this. All the other videos I was seeing were rescues, whereas I wanted to learn how to get myself out of a riptide current. Seeing you in the water actually doing it and talking through the steps was great!

the floating on your back thing really does work. I was caught in a big rip current in carolla beach many years ago for about an hour probably and it took a loooong time for anyone to see me I floated so far out. I prayed while floating on my back that Jesus would save me and shortly after, 2 boys showed the lifeguard where I was which I thought would be impossible. They almost called the coast guard out and even the lifeguard who was a strong swimmer had a hard time getting to me. God answered my prayer. never underestimate the power of prayer and Jesus. Call out to him in your time of trouble

"It's all about energy conservation" lets also just have casual conversation

When me my dad and his girlfriend went to a beach near sarnia ontario. I went swimming near big waves I was pulled underwater and I luckily I forced myself to get out of the water before more waves came and as I got near to shore I nearly choked to death on water the beach was jam packed and everyone saw me choking on water and didn’t seem to care. This proves to you how awful humanity is no one cared to help I could’ve died right there infront of everyone. I told my dad how scared I was and he didn’t seem to care he also just left me there. Yes I am 19 but I do have autism and adhd so I do need to be watched at times.

That looks terrifying. I get scared going into a 9 feet pool. Imagine getting stuck in this.

Misleading title, it's a reporter LEARNING what to do if there's a riptide. Actual riptide not shown.

R.I.P Shad what a loving father .❤️Risked life to save his son 🕊😭❤️

First time in the ocean, and I can understand how and why drowning is so common. I got in one and no matter how hard I swam, I was just getting pulled further and further out.

I’m so afraid of the ocean for many reasons but this one is super scary.

today I saved a 11 year old girls life who go stuck in a rip current, she fought the current until she had no strength left to keep her head above the water. Luckily I came in just in time and pulled her onto my body board just as she lost all of her strength and went under the water. Btw her dad didn’t thank me the first thing he did was yell at her for going out to far

I remember getting sucked out to sea by a rip tide, and I did exactly what these guys are doing. When I was able to reach the shore, I was 5 miles away from where I had parked my car. I will never go out in the water when rip tides are present again. That was the scariest stuff I went through in the Ocean. I was way past any piers.

Thank you guys , I was caught one time , I was swimming toward the beach and felt getting away from the it so I realized it was current , I stayed calm , and kept swimming little to my right side , Some huge waves helped me pushing me to the beach , finally I made it .

I’m a really strong swimmer and I was caught in a rip current whilst swimming in Miami South Beach, November last year After a few alcoholic beverages I thought it would be a good idea to swim out ‘until my feet didn’t touch the ground’ There were a few waves crashing about so I swam in the water which looked “calmer”. Then I thought it would be cool to go past the floating buoys and then turn back. Then as I started trying to swim back I noticed I wasn’t getting any closer to shore and I was getting a LOT more tired than usual. There were no lifeguards on duty and I was so far out that I doubt anyone would’ve seen/ heard me even if I signalled for help. Luckily I remember watching a couple of KZfaq videos about rips and the main thing they said to do is NOT TO PANIC. So I took a deep breath, filled my lungs with oxygen and started to float on my back. Once I got my breath back, I started swimming horizontally to shore doing what I call the “octopus” stroke 😂😂 Took me around 15 minutes to get out of the rip and back to shore but it felt like a LIFETIME. (It didn’t help that I brushed alongside some jellyfish that I thought were deadly on the way back either) The day after the ordeal there were extreme rip current warnings for Miami Beach and lifeguards weren’t letting anyone go further than knee deep.. I’m a very composed individual and even I was SURE I was going to die that day Safe to say I won’t be drinking next time I go in the sea..

Got caught in one about two years ago and was very close to drowning bc can’t swim😭 I was having a panic attack and couldn’t move. Thank god the lifeguards came to save me.

I was caught in a rip current there in Rodanthe. By luck I had a watched a Nat Geo documentary on Rip Tides a week before just by coincidence. That saved my life, I didn't exhaust myself trying to swim against the current and knew to swim parallel. Once I did this a wave brought me back to shore

I got stuck in a rip current with my sister, fortunately we had our mother who knew what to do and helped us out a bit and lucky for us the rip we were caught in looped back to the beach so we were safe, please be safe when swimming people, I can't tell you how helpless I felt in that moment but staying calm was my saviour😇

I came here to see a rip tide because former WWE star Shad Gaspard went missing

A lifeguard in Ocean City, Maryland saved me and my friends from a rip current in the summer of 1986. I wish I could find him and thank him today.

Almost drowned because of a rip tide. I didn’t know what to do which is swim sideways instead of straight towards land. I am a person who knows how to swim and had known for a long time now. I fought and fought and fought to no avail. It got so bad I was going under the water and couldn’t see or breathe. I finally decided it was time to ask for help. Luckily I saw about 5 boys about to go surfing and I yelled over and said I need help. They all pushed their boards towards me. They saved my life. There’s no doubt in my mind I would have drowned and been gone forever. Extremely scary and exhausting moment. As soon as I got to shore I just cried and had no energy left, snot all down my face. It definitely was a horrific experience.

I’d love for her to let him talk.....

I’m so jealous how effortlessly they tread water.

I remember as a kid in Myrtle Beach i was having fun like a normal kid would do at the beach all of sudden huge wave start to came up push me into the water when i came back i was sooo far from the shore in 2 seconds i was 100m away from the shore if a boat didnt see me i would be dead ! These wave are no jokes!

I’m here because of Naya

Shad is saving thousands of people through education right now. Stay safe guys. RIP Shad

I was swimming one time and I didn’t realise I was already in deep water. When I tried to swim back to shore I got caught in the middle of two opposite waves so I got stuck, unable to move forward. I started feeling exhausted. Panic almost took the best of me but I convinced myself that I will drown if I let panic rule over me. I just did my best to float. I looked towards the shore and I saw my family and all the people going about their activities. I thought, “Look at everyone else enjoying the day not knowing how much I was struggling, drowning probably.” There weren’t lifeguards in that area. When I noticed the waves settled down a bit, and I also felt a bit rested, I started swimming parallel to the shore until I reached a shallower part of the beach (neck deep), then I just started walking towards to shore.

One way to swim back to shore is to dive and swim underwater, I’ve done it multiple times in a rip current and it worked for me, trying to swim back in a normal manner won’t work at all

It hurts to think about what Shad’s family is going through. My thoughts and prayers go to him and his family

Was caught in one in Mexico. I had the bright idea of heading down to the beach around 6AM to get a swim in before the beach got busy. I was the only one out on the beach that morning and I got caught in one. Initially I panicked as I was getting sucked out to sea. I started floating on my back, holding my breath as I saw waves approaching. Then I recalled what my mother told me if I was caught in a rip tide. I eventually made it back to shore. Later that morning, the lifeguards actually prohibited swimming on the beach that day due to strong tides. I was fortunate to be a strong swimmer, but it was the only time in my life where I accepted I may die. Nature can be a complete beast and you have to have respect for it.

happens so quick...was in San Diego once with my back to the shore turned around when i heard someone yelling on a bullhorn and the beach looked miles away...after an initial panic,I floated up on my back and backstroked sideways out of it....staying calm can't be over emphasized.Was actually a guy behind me the lifeguards were coming out for....thought it was me lol

This is invaluable information. Experienced my first one today, swam against it out of panic and made it to shore safe. Lucky and grateful it was a mild one.

OMG I got caught in a rip current and now I'm too scared to swim in the ocean

I got caught in a rip tide in Cancun. My swimming skills are poor, but I thought I was safe since the water wasn’t only chest high and seemed placid. The current was so strong that even though my feet were on the sand, I could barely move. I ended up making it out of it but it was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.

I was once in a rip tide and let me tell you it’s really scary luckily my brother pulled me out of the rip tide but before he did so I felt so helpless because I couldn’t escape

Wow! You guys did a great instructional video!!! Very helpful to see how to do it correctly to save yourself. Calmly float, parallel to shore, side swim some strokes to swim out

So sad about Shad Gaspard. Came here to learn what a riptide is.

RELAX!!! You can go under, hold your breath, surface, breathe , and LIVE!

My friends died 4 years ago over spring break at Emerald Isle from a rip current. Everyone needs to know how to get out

I saved my mom once from a rip current once. She was getting pulled out but I was able to get her and pull her back to shore. :)

Hard to watch knowing Shad lost his life this way 💔 RIP Shad 🙏🏽🕊 his last words “save my son” heartbreaking

Is he teaching her how to survive a rip while being in one

Now I know why my dad was screaming on the shore and losing his shit- because I floated out so far always into the deep blue! And don’t realise how far I went! If it was a rip tide- I wouldn’t have made it back

When doing the crawl stroke, need to learn to breathe on both sides (bilateral breathing). If you get tired, flip onto your back and rest, but don’t panic! Hyperventilating makes you more likely to ingest water, especially when there are high swells.

My guess is Naya swam against the current to get her son to the boat that was probably drifting away. She managed to get him there but was completely exhausted after that final push and relief of seeing him board onto safety. :( rip Naya.

What I want to know is what to do about the really strong ones that unexpectedly pull you under and throw you around while they drag you out. Supposedly you're supposed to relax, but that sounds terrifying to me.

I went out to help someone caught in a rip tide in NC. All was good until a massive wave ripped my flotation device away from me and I took in way to much water. Funny thing is they huge wave through the two people I was trying to help out of harms way. I eventually cleared the water out and found my way in. I will admit it was scary and I am very comfortable in the water. Don’t mess with rips. I did not go in the water that day because it was to rough. There were no life guards. I could not let two people drown so I did what I did and things fortunately worked out. I now pack a rescue kit for said beach trips.

I was caught in one at Marco Island and almost died. You realize too late and suddenly you're exhausted, just barely keeping your head above water. Fortunately it took me fairly close to a coral jetty and I managed to grab a piece and pull myself out. During the event I remember thinking, this is the day I die.

Such a good informational video. Thank you

17 year old just died at ocean city. We were two hotels down when he went in and got swept out. It had been raining heavy all day and the water was violent. No one should have been in that water

She is terrified

In Cali can’t Remember the beach, I was 7 and was pulled almost 500 ft off shore😮 me learning to tread water and to signal for help until someone made it to me saved me, now I’ve been able to swim out of them or avoid them

RIP Shad Gaspard , an amazing soul and hero ❤️ god bless him and his family

Who else is here because of Naya Rivera?

Two days ago I was briefly caught in a rip current just north of this pier; thankfully I was aware of the parallel -swimming technique because it may very well have saved my life. 😎🦈🌅🤘

Talk to a lifeguard and stay nearby. if the beach is unguarded ask some locals or consult a guidebook to find out if it is safe. Some beaches are just too dangerous to enter especially in places like Hawaii, if you get pulled out, there is no beach to return to, just open ocean and its game over.

Me and my friends got stuck in one , I was panicking , and kept swimming but felt like I was getting nowhere , then all of a sudden I hear faint sound someone calling my name and it’s my friend literally drowning , at this point I couldn’t see his head , so I’m panicking not knowing to go back for him and risk it or keep swimming myself , I think quick and swim back to him , he holds on to my back to get above water and I start swimming , I feel a cramp starting to form on my right hamstring so I stretch out my leg frantically and swim with one leg with my friend still hanging on to my shoulders , I don’t know how I made it out but in about a minute or two I barely felt my toes touch the sand so I started jumping and walking forward to shore , eventually I had ground again and we got out of there. Honestly most traumatizing moment in my life .

I recall once years ago around 2009 i went down the beach... somewhere in Cali not far from LA but not the usual spots. We were driving and I just had a fight with my parents... stupid stuff...but I needed five minutes by myself. So i left the vehicle and walk down to a small beach nearby, around one minute away from the car. While walk on the beach i sat down on a big rock on the sand. There I saw, car keys, wallet mobile shoes....all left there with few days exposure under the sun. No one around not a soul. Money driver license etc still in the wallet. In the parking lot there a lonely sedan...all dirty like it has been there for few days or so. I showed this to my dad, he went with me where I found it and scanned the sea and beach with his binoculars. Nobody. We called 911 and told them everything. And 20min later a squad car appeared we showed them everything. It belonged to a guy named Josh...xxxxx he was not yet reported missing. Then we left...but I still wonder what happen to that guy....did he went out for a swim and got swiped away or a shark attack? I dont know but it was very weird.

Thanks for this Video vey important, I almost lost my life with Rip current on shore went to save little one and then washed away by the waves luckily there are some surfers, and I had my kids paddle pad tied with me, surfer able to rescue me with that. Today I am alive because of Will, he was my god who saved me , gave me second life. Don’t take any risk near the rocky area, the current are very high on the corner, I used to swim in sea, but this was not a pleasant experience. I was in Breamer bay drowned and washed away, please be safe. God is great.

Got caught in one as a young teenin Florida. Still get weak when I think about it. Scared me half to death. To this day water went over my head and I started getting tired. The coast kept getting further and further. I didn't know you could go sideways. Screamed and my dad and friends came to get me. How you explained it, of all the sudden you're too far, and I just couldn't get back to the shore.

Just yesterday, I got caught in one. I kept waving to the shore, but those lifeguards didn't seem to notice that I was in trouble. Thankfully, two random guys who were board surfing a lil bit far from me rushed to my rescue. It was really a bad experience.

Rip current ..................... rest in peace current

Why am I watching this when I’m trying out for swim

Of course this is recommended to me after Shad. RIP Shad Gaspard.

This seems so scary, and the stories from the comments seem scarier. I am a mediocre swimmer, and I am partially out of shape, so the ocean is such of a scary thing to me.

Rip shad. I got worried how a strong grown man got stuck in a riptide. So I’m trying to learn what to do to prevent getting trapped.

Who else got really anxious just by seeing them in the water that long and casually talking?

Very important video! This can happen all over the world. It happens to much here at the coast of The Netherlands.

It should be the law for children to wear life jackets in the ocean

As a kid I was by the shore punching the incoming small waves...my mom came and said always look up and be aware of waves coming your way and stop punching the waves....cos the ocean is going to punch you back. Minutes later I got wiped out...I was body slammed ...landed on my back...on sand! Then what it felt like a truck load worth of water landed on me. Then I was rolled up to shore by it. That’s when I learned to respect the ocean as I made my way to my mom.

How long does it take for rip current to bring you back in?

credits to the cameraman for filming this while in a rip current

R.I.P Shad Gaspar. May he Rest In Peace. 😢

Carova by the fence separating Back Bay Refuge is a good spot for a rip current at high tide. A good sign is looking at the beach and when the sand is holding a lot of water; creating feeder streams that lead back to the ocean. Good areas for rip currents as the river of shore water creates channels for a rip tide. Play safe and read your swimming area carefully

This is good info for people that don't know and hopefully no sharks will bite.

Yes, however, knowing what to do when your stuck in a rip current and doing what your supposed to do when you find yourself in said riptide are 2 different things. I’ve been stuck in 2 rip currents. First one was in 2001 during senior skip day. Even though I knew what to do, the waves crashing over me were 2 strong and I had to flag a lifeguard for help. I was embarrassed that this happened in front of my friends on the beach but I’d rather be embarrassed and alive than prideful and most likely dead. I didn’t realize that until a few years later when I reflected on it. The other 1 was in 2015, on vacation in wells, ME. I was up to my knees and up over my head the next. I was just lucky I was close enough to shore that I took a gamble and swam with a few of the crashing waves that were coming in. That made the difference because I could touch the bottom and got out. This beach had no lifeguard on duty. I’m just happy that it was me and not my friend Megan whom unlike me, was a very weak ocean swimmer. It may not have ended well. Today, I only go to beaches where there is a life guard duty. No matter how good you are at swimming, the sea can be cruel and unforgiving. Something can happen to you at anytime and without warning.

What if their is no life guard in sight as well as other humans

I'm here because I love my new lockdown hobby of sea swimming in the UK.

She seems to be a bit nervous

I think I was in one of these once. However I had my jetski vest on, which I usually keep - better than carrying it around. The second calming thing was that I always have my phone in a waterproof pouch, so I could call in for help in case I was dragged further from the shore. The only downside is that swimming with a vest is hard.

You also must be ready all the time, for the Lord will come when least expected - Matthew 24:24. God loves each and every single one of yall! If we ask for forgiveness truthfully He will forgive us no matter what! 🙏❤️😃