Ocean City, Maryland is all about safety first! If one feigns drowning, in a mere moment, there is a lifeguard to help before one can scream “Help! I’m caught in a rip current!” My first experience swimming in Ocean City was some of the choppiest water I had ever seen! There must have been a hurricane or storm off shore that made the water simply maniacal! To match, the lifeguard chairs lining the beach all had antsy and alert tan muscled men standing on the ledges of their chairs, awaiting any potential beachgoer in need of saving. With my comrade, Karina, and a few other thrill-seeking swimmers, I swam in merriment of the wild and rocky water. We played in the waves for a while. The rush of rolling wave, after crashing wave, after hard-packed cloud of briny water, enveloped our bodies and senses. We were unknowingly blocked from anything beyond the water. Karina and I did not notice that all of the other swimmers surrounding us had fled to the shore. Nor did I notice that there was a current slowly pulling us further out into the ocean; however, Karina did notice. With a word to me, Karina began to swim to shore. I followed her suite. Before long, we noticed that there was a lifeguard whistling to us from shore, standing with all of those swimmers that were with us in the water. The other swimmers had apparently swum to shore without any notice to us. Once we reached the hot sandy beach, we were informed that there was a rip current pulling us out. We had survived a rip current! We also realized that one of those tan muscled men would probably have come in after us had we continued swimming and frolicking in our oblivion. That same life guard explained to our other comrades how to spot a rip current.
On my “Hungover Sunday” with another good Ocean City comrade and co-author of this blog, Sara, I truly grasped how much Ocean City truly embraces beach safety. Every time a child strayed from his family who gamboled in the ocean close to him, there would be a lifeguard in the water to guide them back to his parents. Again, when the tide got strong, the lifeguards made sure that any swimmers were evacuated out of the water. To top it all off, at each lifeguard post there is a safety lesson on the beach, about the beach. Not only did they inform us about the rip current, but also about the rules of the beach, such as no bottled alcoholic beverages! They were also very humorous and amiable guys.
Here’s what I learned:
There is no such thing as a “rip tide.” It is called a “rip current” because it is a current. A rip current is a narrow stream of water flowing from the shore to the sea. When there is an excess of water close to the shore and further from the sea this can occur. Rip currents are often seen by a break in a sand bar. Rip currents also frequently occur close to structures in the water such as jetties, groins and piers. Rip currents can be between 10 and 200 feet wide and tend to slow down as they move offshore, but sometimes extend hundreds of feet past the surf line. They can vary in speed, but have been measured to be up to 5 mph. Not so bad, if you are a decent swimmer AND know what to do in case you get caught in one.
How to spot a rip current:
- Breaks in the wave pattern
- “Brown Water” or any area of color difference in the water
- Channel of rough water
If you get caught in a rip tide:
Swim across the current, parallel to shore. Once one is out of the rip current, one can swim at an angle to the shore. Swimming in the opposite direction of the rip tide towards the shore, will use one’s energy inefficiently.
Conclusion:
To review, a hangover is caused by dehydration from excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. Spending time in the sun and swimming in the ocean may distract a person from a hangover, but it will only further dehydrate and tire a person who is not refueling with proper food and water and taking adequate rest.
Please stay hydrated, fed and rested when you are hung over on the beach!
For more information on beach safety and rip currents, please visit:
References:
1. “Rip Currents.” Washington’s Coast. Washington State Department of Ecology. Date accessed 12 August 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/coast/waves/ripcurrents.html
2. “Rip Currents: What they are, the dangers, how to escape.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Date accessed 12 August 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov.
So informative! I wasn't expecting Sunday morning stories to include graphics and external references.
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