riptides

Ocean's hidden danger

Riptides are strong, narrow currents flowing outward from shore, created when water pushed onto beaches by waves funnels back to sea through gaps in sandbars or near jetties.

The term is technically a misnomer—they're properly called rip currents, as they're unrelated to tides.

They pose a drowning hazard for swimmers who exhaust themselves fighting against the flow: The lifeguard warned about riptides near the pier.

Figuratively, a riptide suggests being pulled by powerful, dangerous forces: a riptide of emotions.

current

undertow

Subsurface seaward current

surgeSudden powerful increase
flowUnbroken forward movement
pullForce toward oneself

drift · current · eddy · swirl · turbulence · velocity · force · momentum · hydraulic · undercurrent

danger

drowning

Death by water inhalation

hazardSource of potential harm
warningAlert about danger
lifeguardPaid swimming supervisor

rescue · survival · treacherous · panic · caution · safety · emergency · victim · fatality · signs

ocean

waves

Traveling energy disturbances

surfWaves near shore
beachSandy waterside margin
shoreLand bordering water

sandbar · breakers · coastal · shoreline · seafloor · swell · shallows · inlet · jetty · pier

swimming

swimmer

One who moves through water

floatingStaying atop liquid
treadingWalking on a surface
sidestrokeSideways swimming technique

parallel · conserve · signal · calm · endurance · wading · snorkeling · beachgoer · bather · fatigue

riptides

undertow

drowning

waves

swimmer

riptides

Opposites

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