Rip Currents

Tides

  • Tides control the amount of wave breaking over the sandbars (bar/rip morphology), controlling rip activity.
  • Beach channel rip current flows are often enhanced at low water (especially MLW) when waves are breaking over the sandbars.
  • On large-tidal beaches rip currents can ‘switch off’ at higher tides   
  • Low tide beach rip activity can be dramatically affected by the spring/neap cycle
    • Spring low tides: shallow or dry sandbars –reduced rips
    • Mean low tides: most wave breaking over sandbars – increased rips
    • Neap low tides: deep sandbars with little wave breaking – reduced rips