RIP Current Information Project
Rip Current Related Research
Beach User Perceptions of the Rip Current Hazard on the Great Lakes
Author: Summer Locknick
Credentials: Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Windsor
Abstract: With 47 recorded drownings in the Great Lakes this year (2016), rip currents and other surf hazards are a public health issue in both Canada and the United States. Preliminary evidence suggests that the public has limited knowledge of rip currents, and are therefore not making informed decisions, which puts them at risk every time they go to the beach. This study attempts to quantify the vulnerability of potential beach users to be caught in a rip current on the Great Lakes. Specifically, the survey examines how beach users make decisions on the beach including: what beach they visit, what they do at these locations, how they pick a site at the beach, and what influences people to enter the water or not. The survey was administered to both potential beach users as well as lifeguards and lifesavers from Canada and the United States. In order to gain an understanding of people’s perception on rip currents, the online survey consists of beach photographs, scenarios, and general knowledge of rip currents. The results of the survey will be used to improve education about rip currents, as well as creating awareness on the beaches of the Great Lakes. The goal is to aid in the development of new management strategies to influence beach user behaviour, in the hopes of reducing the number of drownings and rescues on the Great Lakes.
Perception of beach safety at a destination beach on the Great Lakes
Author: Chris Houser1 | Alex Smith2
Credentials:
1 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
2 School of the Environment, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Abstract: Surf‐related drowning fatalities are a public health concern in the Great Lakes region of North America, and within Canada there are few beaches with lifeguards and no regional beach safety strategy. This short paper presents the results of a survey completed in the northern hemisphere summer of 2022 to determine the perceptions of beach users at Station Beach in Kincardine, Ontario, a popular tourist beach town on Lake Huron. Results suggest that beach safety knowledge and choice of location to occupy along the beach depend on experience with the beach, with frequent visitors tending to select quieter locations located further from a jetty that can result in a structural rip current. Infrequent visitors tended to be closer to the jetty and selected that location based on convenience (e.g., close to parking), suggesting the need for structural changes to guide behaviour towards safer areas of the beach. Results also highlight the challenges of developing an effective warning system to inform beach users of potentially dangerous surf and currents in the absence of an investment in lifeguards or a regional/provincial beach safety strategy.
Emergency Alerting System - Technical Capabilities
Developers: BSS Technologies, Inc.
Technical Staff: Dr. William C. Sandberg, President
Dr. Sunil Kumar Rajendran, Principal Research Scien9st
From the Article:
BSS Technologies Inc. is a research and development company that has designed technology to alert authorities in the event of emergencies. An example of our technology is shown below.
Our patented RIPRIDER® unmanned surface vehicle locates and measures rip currents in the surf zone and issues automatic alerts to first responders. We have also developed during the past year the Swimmer Emergency Alerting System. We have
successfully deployed and tested 23 of these systems since July 4, 2024, along 25 miles of Florida beach in Brevard County from Cape Canaveral to Melbourne beach as shown in Figure 1. These systems, when triggered in the case of emergencies, issue alerts to authorized users in the form of text messages, emails, dynamic audio voice calls, and smartphone notifications. These alert messages consist of real- time locations in the form of GPS coordinates and time of event occurrence. Authorized users also have access to real-time dashboard soUware that enables them to see at a glance the current system health status of each unit and conveniently monitor the
emergency alerting system.
How to Avoid Getting Caught in a Rip Current
Author: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Weather Service
Information from the site:
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Play It Safe Videos: Gulf Coast Beaches | Great Lakes
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Watch Dr. Greg Dusek discuss rip current awareness.
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Check water conditions before going in by looking at the local beach forecast before you leave for the beach and talking to the lifeguard at the beach.
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Only swim at a beach with lifeguards. The chances of drowning at a beach with lifeguards are 1 in 18 million (U.S. Lifesaving Association).
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Don't assume! Great weather for the beach does not always mean it's safe to swim or even play in the shallows. Rip currents often form on calm, sunny days.
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What are scientists doing to keep swimmers safer? Find out in this video: Predict the Rip
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Rip currents aren't the only deadly beach hazard. Learn more about dangerous waves and other hazards and why you should never to turn your back on the ocean.
Rip Currents
Author: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
From the Article:
"Rip currents are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore. They typically extend from the shoreline, through the surf zone, and past the line of breaking waves. Rip currents can occur at any beach with breaking waves, including the Great Lakes."
More Information:
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What is a Rip Current?
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Dispelling the Myth of the Rip
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Rip Currents: Where's the Rip? (How to Spot a Rip Current)
Short communication: Economic impact of drowning in the Great Lakes Region of North America
Author: Chris Houser1 | Marcelo Arbex2 | Christian Trudeau3
Credentials:
1 School of the Environment, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
2 Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
3 Department of Economics, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Abstract: Surf-related drowning fatalities in the Great Lakes Region of North America is an emerging but underestimated public health issue. The relatively high proportion of drownings in the region have been attributed to a lack of beach safety education programs and lifeguard resources in the region. Using data collected by the Great Lakes Beach Safety Project, this study estimates the long-term economic impact of surf-related drownings based on the Value of a Statistical Life Year (VSLY). Not including the cost of hospitalizations and emergency services, surf-related drownings on the Great Lakes has an average economic burden of ~$105 million per year (USD). The total economic burden of surf-related drowning fatalities between 2011 and 2020 is over $1.1 billion (USD), which can be used to determine the net benefit of educational programming and lifeguard programs in the region.