Obey posted warning signs, flags or other displays and heed the advice of the beach patrol. At guarded beaches, beach patrol or lifeguard personnel can recognize certain characteristics, such as a brown-colored plume, foam or seaweed streak extending seaward from the breakers. Since rip currents are normally only about 10 to 30 yards wide, if caught in one, the best escape, especially for the weak or non-swimmer, is to wade or swim sideways across the current, parallel to the beach. The rip current extends on average from 50 to 200 yards offshore, and thus another means of escape is to float with the current out be-yond the breakers where the rip current will weaken, then swim shoreward at an angle away from it. Rip currents can occur at any time of the year, but the majority of deaths in Florida occur from March through August when the combination of a large number of bathers and favorable wind conditions coincide.
Many victims are tourists who are unfamiliar with surf conditions.
However, local residents also become victims.