- Sandbars control the shape and location of beach rip currents.
- Beach channel rip currents are most active on intermediate beaches with sandbars.
- Sandbar types change seasonally with the changing wave climate.
- Summer (low swell-wave) type sandbars are dominated by beach rip circulation.
- Winter (high storm-wave) type sandbars are dominated by longshore currents.
- Bar/rip morphology is most pronounced at low water; therefore beach rip currents are often at their most active and hazardous at low water (particularly MLW).