![]() ![]() How would some one caught in a rip current free himself? Therefore, one may expect rip currents on days with strong onshore winds. Usually, however, local winds cause waves at our shores. Sometimes waves travel thousands of miles across open seas from storms. Most waves are formed from the force of wind against the water. A swell may become a breaking wave when it reaches sufficiently shallow waters. A " swell" on the other hand, is only a wave energy form that is, water moving on a vertical plane (up & down) rather than forward. It is caused by water spilling or plunging down the wave faces. A " breaking wave" is a wave in which water (white in appearance) is physically moving toward shore. When is it conducive for rip currents to exist on beaches?Īnytime waves are "breaking" toward shore, that volume of water must flow back out to sea by gravity. This helps them direct bathers away from these dangerous areas. An experienced ocean lifeguard with an elevated vantage point, will know where the rip currents exist. Rip currents are not always easily discernible to the untrained eye. An area of confusing waves. This choppy area resembles the surface water inside a washing machine. A line of seaweed, foam, and/or debris extending seaward. You are witnessing items brought over the sandbar with the waves washing back out to sea with the rip current. ![]() Slots of darker water indicate where rip currents have already formed. Dark-colored water. This defines the deeper areas. Look for the following indicators to determine their location: Sandy-colored areas. This indicates that a rip current is forming by 'washing-out' sand from the bottom as the water flows seaward. There are several "signs" that they exist. This accumulation of water becomes higher than sea level and flows seaward through deeper areas of the sandbar where waves are not breaking ashore. It is caused by an excessive amount of water that has come inside a sand bar over which waves have broken toward the shore. Please click here to read more information from Miami-Dade CountyĪ rip current is a seaward stream. It also provides nutrients to the shoreline and can replenish areas that suffer beach erosion due to hurricanes and storms, thereby helping to keep our shorelines resilient. It is also an important element in shoreline stability. Sargassum provides crucial habitat for many marine species, including endangered sea turtles, which, upon hatching on our beaches, make their way out to the sargassum to spend their juvenile years feeding and growing amongst the seaweed mats. However, the levels of hydrogen sulfide in an area like the beach, with large amounts of airflow, are not expected to harm health. If you have asthma or other breathing illnesses, you'll be more sensitive to these symptoms. Hydrogen sulfide can also irritate the eyes, nose and throat. Although the seaweed itself cannot harm people, tiny sea creatures that live in sargassum can cause skin rashes and blisters. Hydrogen sulfide has a very unpleasant odor, like rotten eggs. Why can’t sargassum be removed from the water before it reaches the shoreline?Ĭounty, State and federal environmental regulations prohibit the removal of seaweed from the water prior to its landing on the shore.Īccording to the Florida Health Department, as sargassum decomposes, it gives off a substance called hydrogen sulfide. Once the survey is complete, beach operations crews proceed to clean the beach until sunset, regardless of tidal conditions. Prior to operating heavy machinery, a team surveys for sea turtle nests and hatchlings each morning. Clean-up crews operate on a daily basis to collect, remove, cut, and turn the buildup of seaweed on the water line across our 7.5-mile beach. The city continues to coordinate with Miami-Dade County Parks to safely remove excess seaweed from our beaches. You may notice a heavier influx of sargassum (seaweed) along our shoreline.
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