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ABSTRACT
Leatherman, S.P., 2012. Undertow, rip current, and riptide. Journal of Coastal Research, 28(4), iii-v. West Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.
Undertow, rip current, and riptide are terms used to describe a variety of currents, all of which have different characteristics. However, much of the general public, news media, and even dictionary definitions confuse and misidentify these potential hazards at surf beaches. Many beachgoers use the terms interchangeably, when in fact they are distinctly different hazards. Furthermore, undertow, rip currents, and riptides occur for different reasons at different locations along the beach. Avoiding each of them and escaping their grip requires different strategies. Three-quarters of a century has passed since this issue was last addressed in the scientific literature, and rip currents are recently receiving much more attention by scientists and the general public because of a steady rate of fatalities, making this a timely issue.
ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Undertow, rip current, riptide.
INTRODUCTION
Rip currents are the greatest hazard at surf beaches; more than 100 people drown each year, and these dangerous currents account for 80% of surf rescues in the U.S. (United States Lifesaving Association, 2011). In fact, 25 Great Lakes rip drownings occurred in 2010, which was an unusually warm summer (Meadows et al., 2011). In spite of the beach safety information provided by signs and flags, many beachgoers still have a vague understanding about this phenomenon, partially stemming from confusion regarding terminology. Beach safety surveys, conducted at Miami Beach and Pompano Beach in Florida and Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York, showed that nearly 50% of beachgoers referred to rip currents as undertow, albeit they thought it pulled one under the water.
Shepard (1936) wrote the most often quoted article regarding undertow, rip current, and riptide based on his own observations and in response to a lively discussion in four earlier Science articles by other prominent coastal scientists and engineers. He correctly pointed out that riptide was not an appropriate term for rip current because the latter was generated by wave breaking and not the tide. Shepard (1936) also dismissed the term undertow as mythical because there was no current pulling one under the water. Although this is correct, the public relies on their real-life experiences at surf beaches, wherein...