What is a rip current, and how should I behave in one?

This is the biggest risk on the beach, bigger than any animal. A rip current is a narrow channel in which water runs from the beach back out to sea. According to the US ocean agency NOAA it reaches up to 2.4 metres per second, faster than any swimmer. Anyone swimming against it loses, and that is exactly what people drown of: exhaustion. Three rules count. First: never swim against the current. Second: stay calm and let it carry you, because the current pulls out to sea, not under water. Third: swim parallel to the shore until the pull eases, and only then head back to land at an angle. Anyone who cannot swim should signal for help and stay at the surface.