Rip current alert issued for Southern California beaches through Sunday night
The National Weather Service issued a high rip current alert for Southern California beaches for Saturday and Sunday.
“Very strong currents and dangerous swimming conditions are expected,” according to the alert.
Forecasters expect surf of 5 feet to 6 feet with swells as high as 8 feet at some west-facing beaches. Waves of up to 10 feet could hit some beaches in Orange and San Diego counties, according to the forecast.
Expert surfers and skilled swimmers sometimes use the powerful currents to hitch a ride to the next good wave.
But for the vast majority of swimmers and surfers, a strong rip current will only provoke panic. Instead of swimming parallel to shore, which is what a swimmer caught in one of these currents should do, many will fruitlessly try to swim against it.
Rip currents “can be very dangerous. It all comes down to a person’s swimming ability and comfort level in the ocean,” said Patrick Jones, a captain for the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s lifeguard division in Hermosa Beach. At some beaches, he said, rip currents can pull a swimmer up to 400 yards from the beach.
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