*promote

Self promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued Thursday, May 4th, 2017 1:53pm PDT - promote requested by original submitter SFOGuy.

Maybe 70% of people can't see a rip current because they don't have an eagle eye view 30-50 feet above the ocean. Not once did they show you how to spot one from a beach level view. Just sayin

True enough---may I step in with what I was taught? (and therefore am totally unqualified to teach but this is the internet so...)

From the beach, look for the breaking waves (the top of the wave is turning white and then crashing down in a curl and splashing into that confused white foam); waves break because the bottom is shallowing out and the bottom of the wave is "dragging" on the ocean/beach bottom (gross oversimplification; please don't shoot me with Nerf bullets).

Then, as you watch the "break", look for the last place it appears on the front of the wave (it will progress down the face of the wave, 99% of the time, moving left to right or right to left)--that's a clue about where the rip is.

Another clue is a place in the horizon/beach where the waves never breaks, or where two breaks converge on a section of different colored water, maybe sandy (flushing beach sediment) and darker (the water is deeper as a result)--that's a an interesting spot to watch for a while.

Examples of all this?

Look at the 26 second mark, between the two wide set white arrows to the left; imagine what that looks like from the beach---two sets of white wave fronts converging from left to right, and right to left---with green water and an unbreaking wave between them. You can imagine surfers launching from the left heading to the right, and launching from the right and heading to the left, outracing the white water behind them, right?

Another spot is the 48 second mark; the camera starts low, more from a normal person's eye level, then rises up to take the bird's eye view...
See it? The white breaking waves on either side of what becomes the highlit "rip"?

Finally, the 1:08 second mark---again, the white waves on either side of the non-breaking channel...that's the main rip---I dunno how you'd see the feeder...maybe use the Force?

Anyway, hope that helps.

One thing I don't like about this safety announcement is that it makes it seem like rips as these underwater murder machines just lurking out there trying to kill you.

There is nothing inherently dangerous about a rip current per se. Surfers use them all the time to get out quickly into the lineup quickly without having to duck dive the heavier sets.

The real danger of rips is to inexperienced or poor ocean swimmers. The rip can carry you out to water that is too deep to stand in very quickly, so if you're not comfortable floating or treading water for long periods that's going to be a big problem.

Most people drown because they panic when they realize they can't touch the bottom and try to swim back against the current to get to a place where they can stand again. In their panicked state they forget about floating or treading water and exhaust themselves. As long as you swim perpendicular to the current you should be fine. The number one mistake people make is that they forget to stay calm and take breaks by doing the side-stroke or treading water until they're ready to do the crawl stroke again.

All that said, lateral rips (rips that run parallel to the shore rather than out to sea) are some scary shit, as they can move basically as fast as a river. During lifeguard training in my younger days I got caught in one while doing a training rescue and was swept in literally seconds into a wooden jetty. Thankfully I was able to ride the crest of a wave up to the top of the jetty, pull myself up, and then sprint down back to the shore before the next set of waves washed me back into the ocean and carried me even further down the shoreline. After getting back, I took a lot of shit from my instructors and peers for nearly having to be actually rescued during a training rescue.

Well, fair enough---but you're more experienced in the surf.
And...people do die in rips, so I figure ho harm done in posting, right?