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Topic Title: A month old, but from Melbourne Beach
Topic Summary: Rip current advice.
Created On: 07/23/2025 08:55 PM
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 07/23/2025 08:55 PM
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Wavewatcher

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Joined Forum: 07/24/2003

    Not sure where all the information/guidance came from, but the videos they used (or developed??) are good. And it speaks well for Brevard lifeguarding. The MelbournelNational Weather Service has put effort into rip forecasts for at least 15 years.



    Information on how most people can only swim very short distances in water where they can't touch bottom looks very relevant. Most of us live in a different world from the general public.




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wavewatcher - >ww - >wavewatcher, again

Edited: 07/23/2025 at 08:59 PM by Wavewatcher
 07/24/2025 04:57 AM
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dingpatch

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Joined Forum: 07/24/2003

But, it was more an effort to find them and let them do the paddling out into the lineup for you.

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Dora Hates You
 07/24/2025 06:18 AM
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Cole

Posts: 73063
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

Most of us live in a different world from the general public.

Well said.

I'm sure most of us have pulled people to safety

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I was right.
 07/24/2025 10:11 AM
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Central Floridave

Posts: 52900
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I can float and swim farther with less energy on my back than doing freestyle. Great advice, don't freak out. That exhaust energy more than anything.

Just like they teach babies to swim to first float on your back and relax. Then figure it out.

I just started swimming laps in my pool this past week. Slowly trying to get back in swim shape for upcoming Cane surf season. Got my skin cancer staples out a couple days ago so its safe to swim again!

 07/24/2025 01:40 PM
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tom

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Joined Forum: 07/25/2003

Well done. This should be on loop in the hotel tvs.

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 07/24/2025 04:14 PM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 27762
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I think if you have not saved a person from a rip, you will.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 07/24/2025 04:14 PM
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johnnyboy

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I think if you have not saved a person from a rip, you will.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 07/24/2025 08:21 PM
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Wavewatcher

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    One of my shoulders recovered fast from rotator cuff surgery, but it took forever to regain the range of motion to do freestyle. But backstroke worked fine. So I need to do some work to get the freestyle habit back.


    I long ago picked up a little bodysurfing book written by a southern California judge that explained doing it at a weird place called The Wedge. As it turned out, the book was a useful guide to beach swimming, starting with always using swim fins. It helped that I'd had 3 years of visiting a sjorebreak as a kid. I finally visited Wedge with a camera, using cheap flights as covid faded away. Photos are nothing compared to what local experts do, but using a camera is one way to pay attention to what's going on, and to spot some things when editing. Flickr album 2021.


    I've been accustomed to getting around in the water without wasting energy. I admit that an easy swim at Newport Beach not long ago depended on knowing something about beaches. There was a persistent rip current, and the lifeguard was diligently persuading beachgoers to get out of the water in the feeder area. I don't think anyone had to be rescued--good work. I got his consent to ride the rip out. The zone of confused small waves at its head was interesting. Easy to get out. I knew which way the longshore current was going, so did a leisurely float up the beach, then came back and revisited the lifeguard for debriefing. I explained my lack of getting much of a workout. He was still tending that rip. BTW, I probably passed lifeguard inspection by having decent fins.


    I watched live video from the lifeguard competition at Daytona Beach earlier today. The commentator noted that the 35 member Emerald Coast team represented six Panhandle lifeguard organizations, and was doing very well. Local governments up there long refused to have ocean rescue/lifeguard programs. That's changed.


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wavewatcher - >ww - >wavewatcher, again

Edited: 07/24/2025 at 08:49 PM by Wavewatcher
 07/25/2025 07:38 AM
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Cole

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http://theconversation.com/i-r...e=firefox-newtab-en-us

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I was right.
 07/25/2025 07:48 AM
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Wavewatcher

Posts: 7902
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Good one, Cole. The text reminds me of Robert Brander writing about Australia. Those channel rips are pretty stable and can be flagged. Kill Devil Hills uses flags, too. Newport and Huntington Beaches have some non-jetty, non-pier rip spots that are pretty stable. No flags, but summer lifeguards look after them. Our beach's flash rips are harder to mark, and they're great examples of how little rips can cause panic.



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wavewatcher - >ww - >wavewatcher, again
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