Where and when do rip currents occur on the southern coast?

Wherever a shallow sandy beach with surf has a sandbar in front of it: the water flows back out to sea through the gap in that bar. Such beaches are plentiful along the southern coast; in small rocky bays the picture is different. Rip currents become noticeable with onshore wind and higher seas, not on a mirror-calm day. You can spot them by a channel where the waves barely break, often cloudier from stirred-up sand, and by foam or weed drifting out. That bathing accidents stand out in August has one main reason: that is when most people are in the water. We are not aware of official statistics broken down by location and month. The simplest precaution remains to swim at a guarded beach, watch the flags, and never let children enter the water alone.