Popularly called “Sea suckers”, currents, are among the most dangerous natural phenomena and less understood for those who enjoy days at the beach. In each season they become the unwilling protagonists of rescue operations, horrors and episodes that could be avoided with more information.
As explained Alejandro MitticaAs lifeguards and political and sports management graduates, when we look at the sea from the shore, we are usually guided by what is visible: the foam, the big waves, the transparent water or even a calm strip that seems safe. This calm appearance is usually the first deception. The suction cups are usually located exactly where the waves don’t break, where the surface looks “ironed” and almost invites you to get started.
The expert, in turn, stated that the origin of the hickey appears when “The sea must escape”. To understand this phenomenon, one must imagine the constant action of waves. Every breaking wave pushes water towards the shore. This continuous pressure causes the water level in the surf zone and on the shore to rise slightly compared to the level a few meters further out to sea. At first glance it is not noticeable, but it is enough to create an imbalance, that is, more water accumulates on the bank than can remain there.
These water masses strive to return to the sea and do so through the easiest means: the sandbanks, inlets, channels, wells and slopes that are located on the beach and whose shape changes daily. When the accumulated water finds a deeper area – a gap between banks, a narrow channel, or a shallow area next to a breakwater – it concentrates and escapes there. This corridor becomes a narrow and fast current that moves into the sea like an inverted “river”.
This canal is easily recognized by the most experienced lifeguards, who call it the “neck” of the pacifier. However, normal people usually notice them when they enter the water, because when they try to swim back to shore, they find that they are making no progress or even retreating. In some measurements, these currents exceeded two to three meters per second, a speed faster than that of a trained swimmer.
The rip current does not appear or disappear randomly. Follow a clear pattern:
Above all, lifeguards emphasize that calm water is not always safe water. Many suction cups have a calm surface, without foam and without breaking, precisely because the waves stop at the sand banks on both sides, leaving the channel free in the middle. Many people approach this with confidence without being aware of the risk.
To avoid a hickey, it is recommended:
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