RIP coastal vortex – “The silent killer” when swimming in the sea

Summer is approaching, which is also the time when domestic tourism activities are active again after 2 years of silence due to the epidemic. With the advantage of a long coastline, the beautiful beach Famous, beach tourism always attracts the most visitors.

Travel is rest and relaxation, but besides that, safety must also be a top priority. What must we keep in mind to have a trip full of joy?

Drowning warning before the danger of RIP . current

Only about a month ago, many accidents have happened on the beaches of Central Vietnam when tourists go swimming. This is an area with extremely dangerous RIP currents.

Hon Chong beach, the famous beautiful city of Nha Trang. Many tourists come here and once they come here, everyone wants to once be immersed in the waves. But not everyone knows that the Hon Chong beach area is where the RIP stream often appears.

At the location of the RIP stream, the sea surface is quite calm, but below is the death vortex. Visitors from far away easily mistaken that this will be the ideal place to swim and the risk starts here.

In Nha Trang beach, measures to ensure safety for beachgoers have been strengthened over the years. Floating buoys and ropes stretched from the shore to the sea are a way to zone out safe beaches. Lifeguards are on duty on a regular basis. Constant reminders given. But in reality, there are still visitors who ignore the note.

In the area of ​​Hon Chong – Nha Trang beach, there are many cases of people swimming in the sea swept away by waves. Even on the 2nd day of the last Lunar New Year, 4 people were swept away by the waves in just 1 day. The cause is still subjective, swimming outside the safe beach area, being swept away by the RIP current. Fortunately, the rescue force promptly brought to shore.

The threat of RIP currents is very unpredictable. Therefore, the skill required for swimmers is to know how to recognize the RIP line as well as know how to get out of the RIP line if there is an accident. And above all, being careful when swimming in the sea, following instructions from lifeguards will be a way to prevent drowning accidents.

Areas where RIP lines often appear in Vietnam

The RIP line can appear regardless of the season. Because ocean waves contain a very high random factor, it also gives RIP currents a random nature in the formation process.

RIP current, also known by many other names such as coastal eddy current, transverse fault current, eddy pond, receding current, is a strong current flowing from the shore towards the sea. Waves hit and bring sea water to shore. But when seawater is continuously introduced, they gather into a vortex that flows back out. This strong current has a narrow width, 3-30m, length from 100 – 150m.

The RIP line can appear on any beach. Particularly in Vietnam, scientists have shown that the coastal strip from Thanh Hoa to Ba Ria – Vung Tau usually has the most RIP currents. Because the waves here are longer and bigger than other places. Although there are no exact statistics, but crowded beaches such as Cua Lo, Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet have all recorded this phenomenon.

RIP currents are the leading danger on the coast. It is the cause of most life-saving and drowning incidents in the sea. Despite its very small size, the maximum speed can reach 2-2.5 m/s, much faster than the short-distance Olympic world champion. According to calculations, with this speed, in a period of 1 minute, the RIP current can wash people away up to 150 m. At that time, even someone who is very good at swimming, can barely swim back to shore.

It is especially important to be aware of the fact that some RIP lines are not dropped. With the naked eye, we can rely on the following characteristics:

– Darker in color because the water is deeper there.

– There is calmer water surface, usually smaller waves. In the same stretch of sea where the white waves crash is safe. A quiet place is a dangerous area.

– There are debris, water bubbles floating on the surface, drifting out into the sea.

How to get rid of the RIP . line

When you accidentally fall into the RIP current, it shows that you are swimming or standing, and the sand at its feet sinks and it rolls out, it has already been swept away by the RIP current.

In case you accidentally fall into the RIP line, please keep in mind the following escape route that experts from the Institute of Oceanography give:

* For swimmers:

– Keep calm.

– Observe and do not swim against the RIP current, but swim horizontally and parallel to the shore.

– When we got out of the swept area, we looked at the direction and saw that the RIP current was weak before we swam to the shore.

* For non-swimmers:

– Try to keep the body, let the RIP flow out.

– Signal, raise your hand, scream for help for rescue.

* For the person being called for help:

– Be calm, don’t rush to save right away, because you can’t even save him when you go down, but sometimes you’re still a victim.

– Must urgently see if there is anything, then throw it down along the RIP line for people to cling to and urgently call for rescue forces.

In addition to the RIP current, there are many other hazards such as sand fall, deep water holes, big waves that we cannot predict. Therefore, you should pay attention not to swim in areas with warning signs prohibiting bathing, prepare buoys and follow the instructions of lifeguards.

* Invite readers to watch programs broadcast by Vietnam Television on TV Online and VTVGo!