About Rip Currents at Panama City Beach
Avoid swimming during dangerous conditions
Enjoy your vacation at Panama City Beach
New Flags Are Flying Over Panama
City Beach. Officials are working
to make Panama City Beach a safer place
for you and your family. A state law enacted in 2003 promotes a uniform system of five beach flags to inform swimmers of local water conditions and warn them of dangerous conditions. Green flags signal low hazard - favorable conditions for swimming. Yellow flags
mean medium hazard - use caution. A single red flag means high hazard. Red over red means danger - water closed to public use, stay out of the water. A purple flag means marine pests are present.
Many visitors are unaware of dangerous water conditions and what to do if encountered. Learn how to recognize these conditions and what to do if you encounter them.
What is a rip current and how
to recognize
it. Rip currents are sometimes mistakenly called
"rip tides" or "undertows." These are misnomers.
Rip currents are not directly associated with tides and they do
not pull people under. A rip current is a seaward moving current
that circulates water back to sea after it is pushed ashore by waves.
Each wave accumulates water on shore creating seaward pressure.
Eventually, so much water will pile up that it can break
through the first sand bar in a small area. The
large amount of water rushing out through a small break causes a
strong current that flows perpendicular (away) from the shore and
through the rip in the sand bar. This is the rip current. Once past
the sand bar, the rip current is no longer confined to a small area
(bottleneck) and will spread out
and disappear. Beach goers may be able to identify the existence
of a rip current by looking for tell-tale signs. As incoming waves
meet the outgoing rip, characteristic "explosions" of
foam may be seen. Attempting to escape the rip by swimming toward
the shore can quickly exhaust even the strongest swimmer.
If you feel a rip current don't panic. Call or wave for assistance and swim parallel to shore (the rip current is very narrow) or if caught by one, you can let it carry you out beyond the first sand bar where the breakers are forming and it will release you as it spreads out and disappears. It is best to avoid dangerous rip current conditions. Heed the "No Swimming" danger flags!
FLAG WARNING SYSTEM
 |
Green - Low Hazard - Conditions are favorable for swimming |
 |
Yellow - Medium Hazard |
 |
Red - High Hazard |
 |
Red Over Red - Danger - Water closed to public use |
 |
Purple - Marine Pest Present |
For up-to-the-minute surf reports, call 850-233-5080
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