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Transcript Travelers – Air & Cruise Whether you are exploring the world on the trip of a lifetime, or returning to your favorite exotic beach, we want to help you enjoy and stay safe throughout your time at the shore. The Ocean Today Wave Safe series will teach you about the waves and waters of these amazing places, and help keep you safe.

Flooding isn’t limited to heavy rains. High tide flooding, sometimes referred to as sunny day or nuisance flooding, is a rising problem for coastal communities. Learn how climate change is expected to make the problem worse and how communities are preparing. Flooding. It’s often associated with heavy rains and severe storms. But with rising sea levels, flooding in some coastal communities is now occurring during high tides and sunny days. It’s called high tide flooding and it causes road closures, overwhelmed storm drains and damage to sidewalks and roads. When coastal storms coincide with high tides, the flooding can worsen dramatically. Since 1990, high tide flooding has nearly tripled along U.S. coastlines due to sea level rise caused by climate change and sinking land. The land can move due to underlying geology or human impacts. Sea level rise is expected to further increase the frequency and severity of high tide flooding. So what are people doing about it? Communities are installing costly water pumps to clear the streets of floodwaters. Some people are building on stilts or moving to higher ground. We can’t push down the rising seas. But we can plan for the future, and adapt to the new normal. Transcript Flooding. It’s often associated with heavy rains and severe storms. But with rising sea levels, flooding in some coastal communities is now occurring during high tides and sunny days. It’s called high tide flooding and it causes road closures, overwhelmed storm drains and damage to sidewalks and roads. When coastal storms coincide with high tides, the flooding can worsen dramatically. Since 1990, high tide flooding has nearly tripled along U.S. coastlines due to sea level rise caused by climate change and sinking land. The land can move due to underlying geology or human impacts. Sea level rise is expected to further increase the frequency and severity of high tide flooding. So what are people doing about it? Communities are installing costly water pumps to clear the streets of floodwaters. Some people are building on stilts or moving to higher ground. We can’t push down the rising seas. But we can plan for the future, and adapt to the new normal. Transcript Flooding. It’s often associated with heavy rains and severe storms. But with rising sea levels, flooding in some coastal communities is now occurring during high tides and sunny days. It’s called high tide flooding and it causes road closures, overwhelmed storm drains and damage to sidewalks and roads. When coastal storms coincide with high tides, the flooding can worsen dramatically. Since 1990, high tide flooding has nearly tripled along U.S. coastlines due to sea level rise caused by climate change and sinking land. The land can move due to underlying geology or human impacts. Sea level rise is expected to further increase the frequency and severity of high tide flooding. So what are people doing about it? Communities are installing costly water pumps to clear the streets of floodwaters. Some people are building on stilts or moving to higher ground. We can’t push down the rising seas. But we can plan for the future, and adapt to the new normal.

This video shows amazing aerial footage of a real rip current as it forms off of the North Carolina coast. Watch to learn the science behind how a rip current forms, and how to survive if you're caught in one. Transcript NARRATOR: You might have heard them referred to as “undertow” or “rip tides,” but these ocean phenomena are actually rip currents. Rip currents are narrow currents in the surf zone that move quickly away from shore. A typical rip current ranges from 50-100 feet wide, and can extend 100 yards or more offshore. It can reach speeds of over 5 miles per hour - that’s faster than an Olympic swimmer! That makes them dangerous and potentially deadly, and scientists want to learn more about them so we can better forecast when and where they will form - and keep beachgoers safe. Here’s what we know: Waves don’t have to be huge for a rip current to form - two or three feet are all it takes. And the weather doesn’t have to be bad for a rip current to emerge. They often occur in the nice days after a storm. They’re usually strongest near low tide, but can form at any time. Rip currents often form where sand bars are near the shore. They occur at breaks or channels in the bar. They’re often difficult to see, but you can spot them in areas where waves aren’t breaking, or where there’s foam, seaweed, or discolored water being pulled offshore. It’s easier to see a rip current from higher up - such as from the beach access over dunes or a lifeguard’s tower. Rip currents are a hazard for beachgoers, but by knowing the dangers and what to look for, you can avoid being caught in the grip of the rip.

This animated short for kids makes learning about and respecting rip currents fun and easy. NARRATOR: We all love the beach in the summer. The sun, the sand, and the surf. But just because we're having fun, doesn't mean we can forget about safety. Rip currents account for 80% of beach rescues, and can be dangerous or deadly if you don't know what to do. It's simple stuff, but we can't take it for granted. Know before you go. Check local beach forecasts before you head to the beach, and always swim near lifeguards. Look for any warning signs or flags. If you're unsure about conditions, ask a lifeguard. And know how to swim before you venture in. If you do happen to be caught in a rip current, stay calm. It won't pull you under - it'll just pull you away from shore. If you try to fight the rip current and swim against it, you'll just get worn out. Instead - float! If you can, wave and yell to get the attention of lifeguards and people on shore to let them know you need help. If you're a good swimmer, swim parallel to shore until you've cleared the pull of the rip current. Swim with the waves, allowing them to push you to shore. If you can, wave and yell to get the attention of lifeguards and people on shore to let them know you need help. If you're on shore and see someone in trouble in a rip current do not go in after them. Instead - call for help! If a lifeguard is not available, throw in something that floats or extend a reaching object, but don't try to be a hero and make the rescue yourself. Even trained lifeguards only attempt a rescue using a flotation device. Rip currents can be dangerous, but if you know your options, survey your situation, and stay calm, you can stay safe and continue to have fun in the surf, sand, and sun.

Break the Grip of the Rip (For Teens) Research shows that teens are more likely to take risks than other age groups, which could make them more vulnerable to getting caught in a rip current. Share this video with the teens you know so they'll know what to do if they're caught in one - it could save their life. Transcript NARRATOR: We all love the beach in the summer. The sun, the sand, and the surf. But just because we're having fun, doesn't mean we can forget about safety. Rip currents account for 80% of beach rescues, and can be dangerous or deadly if you don't know what to do. Know before you go. Check local beach forecasts before you head to the beach, and always swim near lifeguards. Look for any warning signs or flags. If you're unsure about conditions, ask a lifeguard. And know how to swim before you venture in. If you do happen to be caught in a rip current, stay calm. It won't pull you under - it'll just pull you away from shore. If you try to fight the rip current and swim against it, you'll just get worn out. Instead - float! If you're a good swimmer, swim parallel to shore until you've cleared the pull of the rip current. Swim with the waves, allowing them to push you to shore. If you can, wave and yell to get the attention of lifeguards and people on shore to let them know you need help. If you're on shore and see someone in trouble in a rip current call for help! If a lifeguard is not available, throw in something that floats or extend a reaching object, but don't try to be a hero and make the rescue yourself. Even trained lifeguards only attempt a rescue using a flotation device. Rip currents can be dangerous, but if you know your options, survey your situation, and stay calm, you can stay safe and continue to have fun in the surf, sand, and sun.

The best way to survive a rip current is to relax and float - don't try to swim against the current. Watch this video to learn more about what to do if you're caught in a rip current. TRANSCRIPT: DR. GREG DUSEK: A rip current is a narrow, fast-moving channel of water that starts near the beach and extends offshore through the line of breaking waves. If you do get caught in a rip current, the best thing you can do is stay calm. It's not going to pull you underwater, it's just going to pull you away from shore. Call and wave for help. You want to float, and you don't want to swim back to shore against the rip current because it will just tire you out. You want to swim out of the rip, parallel to shore, along the beach and then follow breaking waves back to shore at an angle. When you first get to the beach, the best thing you can do is swim near a lifeguard. And then if you have questions about if the conditions are hazardous or not, ask a lifeguard. And then many beaches have things like a flag system, or other forms of communication to be able to tell you if the conditions are hazardous. But if you go to a beach without a lifeguard, when you get there, you want to make sure you know how to spot a rip current, and if you get caught in one, know how to get out. And then when you go in the water, always bring flotation. Always let a lifeguard make a rip current rescue, because often, the people that try to make rescues themselves end up being the ones who drown. Instead, the best way to help is to throw them something that floats and immediately get a lifeguard for help. Spotting a rip current can be difficult, and really needs some practice. But when you go to the beach, start off by staying back from the water. Rip currents are easier to see at an elevated position, like a dune line or beach access, and then look for places where waves aren't breaking, so flat spots in the line of breaking waves. And then also where there's maybe foam or sediment in the water being transported away from the beach offshore. Before you go to the beach, always check your local beach conditions. Look at the wave forecast. If you have waves two to three feet high or greater, you could have strong rip currents. And then look to see if there's a hazardous rip current statement for your local beach. And then always check the tide as well. So rip currents often occur at low tide, and so if you're going to the beach during a period of low tide, just be mindful that strong rip currents could occur. People often misunderstand and think that rip currents only occur during bad-weather days at the beach but actually, you can have strong rip currents with sunny days and waves of only about two to three feet high. And the reason for that is that rip currents aren't really caused by the weather. They're caused by the waves and other factors like the tide and the shape of the bottom. Rip currents can occur anywhere you have breaking waves, like large sandy beaches on the open ocean. But they can also occur where you have hard structures, like jetties, or piers, or even rocks jutting out into the ocean. In terms of the tide, usually rip currents are going to occur more at low tide when you have waves breaking over the sandbar near shore. And that's the third part, the sandbars. Usually you're going to have strong rip currents where you have significant sandbar near the shore with a channel in it.

Rip Current: Protect Yourself to Save Others TRANSCRIPT: If you get caught in a rip current you want to know your options. The first thing is to relax, rip currents won’t pull you under, they will just pull you away from shore. If you can, swim out of the current along the beach and then back to shore at an angle following the breaking waves. If you can’t escape, float or tread water while you wave and call for help on shore. But you’ll also want to know your options if you are on shore and see someone caught in a rip current who needs help. First, stay calm and take 10 seconds to think through your options. Alert lifeguards or someone on the beach. If there is no one to help, call 911. Look for a flotation device or anything that floats and see if you can get it to the person without entering the water. If you must enter the water, remember to ALWAYS take a flotation device. All too often, someone attempting to make the rescue without the proper training and equipment is the one who drowns. Don’t be a victim. Protect yourself so you can protect others. Remember to always be aware of potential hazards and that ocean conditions can change quickly. And if possible, swim near a lifeguard. If you make sure to know your options before you head to the beach, you’ll be prepared for hazardous rip currents so you and your loved ones stay safe.