[SEMCO] Woods Hole Sea Grant Urges Greater Rip Current Awareness With Approach of Hurricane Irene

[Jeffrey Brodeur]

News Release
For Immediate Release
Woods Hole Sea Grant
193 Oyster Pond Rd.
Woods Hole, MA 02543
 
Contacts: 
Gregory Berman, Coastal Processes Specialist
(508) 289-3046
gberman at whoi.edu
 
Jeffrey Brodeur, Communications and Outreach Specialist
(508) 289-2665 
jbrodeur at whoi.edu
 
Woods Hole Sea Grant Urges Greater Awareness of Rip Currents With Approach
of Hurricane Irene
 
(Woods Hole, Mass.) ­ The Woods Hole Sea Grant program is urging beachgoers
to exercise extreme caution over the next few days as the approach of
Hurricane Irene will increase the likelihood of rip currents across portions
of southeastern Massachusetts.
 
Waves break earlier on sand bars than they do in channel areas, creating a
circulation patter that speeds up as wave energy increases.  Rip currents
are the narrow channels of fast-moving water that pull swimmers away from
the shore. Panicked swimmers often attempt to return to shore by swimming
straight back in, putting themselves at risk of fatigue and then drowning.
 
Woods Hole Sea Grant Coastal Processes Specialist Greg Berman advises that
swimmers caught in a rip current should try to remain calm, swim parallel to
the shore and then swim at an angle Alternatively, swimmers can float or
tread water until the current lessens, then swim parallel to the shore for a
short distance before returning to the beach.
 
³Some of the best advice, especially in the potentially high energy
conditions thanks to Irene, is to not swim alone, swim where lifeguards are
present whenever possible, learn to identify rip currents, and ŒIf in doubt,
don¹t go out,¹.  Rip currents can quickly vary due to incoming wave group
engery and direction; speeds of up to 5.5 mph have been measured.  Olympic
swimmer Michael Phelps is only going about 4 mph on his best day, so don¹t
think you can beat the current if you¹re a strong swimmer.² Berman said.
 
The National Weather Service office in Taunton issues Surf Zone Forecasts
providing a three-tiered structure of low, moderate and high to describe the
rip current risk http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/srfDisplay.php.
 
All National Weather Service offices forecasting a moderate to high risk of
rip currents include this information their Hazardous Weather Outlook. These
forecast products are available online at www.weather.gov
<http://www.weather.gov/> . More safety tips and educational materials can
be downloaded at www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov <http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov>
.
 
The Woods Hole Sea Grant program, based at the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution (WHOI), supports research, education, and extension projects
that encourage environmental stewardship, long-term economic development,
and responsible use of the nation¹s coastal and ocean resources. It is part
of the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, a network of 32 individual programs located in
each of the coastal and Great Lakes states. Together, these programs form a
national network of over 300 participating institutions involving more than
3,000 scientists, engineers, educators, students, and outreach experts.
 
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