How would you save yourself from drowning?

[crazyincalifornia]

You're at an unguarded beach.
About 2-3 foot swells.
Rip currents suddenly take you out almost 200 yards off shore.
How will you save yourself?

Fight back with all your strength.

Float on your back to conserve energy.

Don't fight it. Allow yourself to be carried out. Then swim out of the rip by going parallel to the beach.

[Galden]

Ok, spent my younger years on the swim team. Was Capt. And life guard after that.
Never fight the curent. Just let it take you. Then swim easy along the side of beach tell free of the curent, then you can angle back into shore..
Do not ever fight with all your strength. Rember we float in salt water. Just stay calm tell you are out of the current.

[sovetskii13]

Swim parallel to the beach until I see a different current to see if it will be easier for me to swim back to land. If I run out of energy and can't do anything, maybe float on my back. If I keep sinking then I guess it's over.

[Smilewide]

I'm scared of the ocean, so I actually wouldn't consider swimming in it in the first place. If I do, I wouldn't fight it, but rather try to get myself out of the current by moving sideways. When I get out, I swim straight to shore...:)

[crazyincalifornia]

Yeah, that will work.
I think the key is to detect the undercurrents, and stay out if they are present.
In California the lifeguards use a flag warning system.
Red flags are a no swim warning
:))

[josesmaf]

As a lifeguard, I'd probably avoid the rip current areas altogether. But if I got swept, I'd swim parallel until I got out of the well. Rip currents are caused by the water trying to get back out to sea. And it's possible to tell where they are.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Backcomp.gif

[Sexualchrist]

You may well be a life guard, but you obviously haven't been taught the latest information on this.

You need to swim through the rip and across the curerrent. So not into the rip or against it.

Swimming parallel to the beach only works if the rip has a current going from towards the shore and out to see. If it's going sideways and then in an L shape out to seas and you swim parallel to the beach, you're fucked.

[Sexualchrist]

None of them. You need to determine which way the current of the rip is going, swim a cross and out of it and then back to shore.

If you go parallel to the beach you can actually sometimes swim more into the rip as some go sideways and out to sea in an L shape.

[maiez]

I can't float since I am too muscle dense, I'd swim parallel to the beach because thats what they teach you in SoFlo

[WhoTheHellKnows]

I've actually had that happen to me once. Rip current sucked me right out. I just rode it till it stopped and swam parallel then swam in. It was pretty scary though

[justbanANNAz]

C is what u have to do... so that's what id do.

[crazyincalifornia]

Right on!
Damn scary methinks though.

[SurströmmingLover]

I would swallow all the water. My body is capable of anything

[crazyincalifornia]

HHHHHHHHHHH
Funeral address?

[SurströmmingLover]

It starts with F and ends in n

[ladsin]

parallel to the direction of the rip

[Frost_Byte]

I spontaneously grow gills

[crazyincalifornia]

Yes,
You already have vestigial gills.
Just think of what 13 million years might be able to do.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Klaatu51]

i'd try to reach to the shore with all my strength

[crazyincalifornia]

No K NO.
:))

[Iron_Man]

Float on your back to conserve energy.

[Sexualchrist]

If you do that, you could just end up being carried out to sea.

[Iron_Man]

I was thinking about a lake. If I was on a cruise ship and fell overboard way out there I am out to sea anyway. I would do this and wait for a boat to come along

[Sexualchrist]

Yeah, good idea for that situation.

[Prof_Don]

I agree with this... float to conserve energy, then figure out a way to get back to shore.

[Iron_Man]

Thank you

[SamuelB]

I'd accept my fate.

[crazyincalifornia]

No.
like everyone your instincts would take over.